Vehicle Pursuit Policy
1. The vehicle pursuit policies of three US Police Departments are described below:
a. According to Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), a police pursuit should only be engaged when a law violator or suspect of a crime tries to avoid arrest or interrogation by intentionally not stopping the vehicle. In cases when the pursuit is highly necessary, the police officers should take into account a number of factors that can affect a successful outcome of the pursuit. These factors include the distance from the law offender’s vehicle, kind of assistance that is available to them if things get out of control and the possible risks involved in such activities. Thus, LAPD requires its officers to consider all these factors before initiating a vehicle pursuit as it is a highly dangerous task.
b. In California Law Enforcement Vehicle Pursuit Guideline, the factors to be considered while deciding to pursue a vehicle are clearly stated in the Balance Test. The most important factors include public safety, officer’s safety, nature of offence and apparent circumstances. This guideline highlights the importance given to public’s and officers’ safety so that the pursuit does not endanger the lives of others. Thus, it offers clear directions as to whether a vehicle should or should not be pursued under certain circumstances and what those circumstances could possibly be.
c. The New Jersey Police Department also has its policies regarding a vehicle pursuit. It authorizes a pursuit in case of 1st and 2nd degree crimes depending on the discretion of the police officer. However, no clear directions are provided in case of 3rd degree crimes like car stealing etc. Hence, in this regard, New Jersey’s policies are different from the above mentioned ones of the other two departments as they also attach importance to the nature and gravity of crime rather than just focus on the safety of public and officers (Division of Criminal Justice, 1999).
2. All the above mentioned departments provide policies related to the safety of public and police officers in vehicle pursuits, yet California Law Enforcement Department gives more priority to safety and secure procedure. While LAPD takes into account the circumstances or conditions at the time of pursuit like the proximity to the vehicle that is being pursued or availability of backup; the New Jersey Department focuses more on the degree and gravity of crime. It encourages vehicle pursuit if the offence is serious and safety is a secondary consideration to the nature of offence. Moreover, California Law Enforcement Department has more specific and clear cut directions and policies regarding vehicle pursuits as compared to the other two departments. This is important because the more clear and specific the policies are, the easier it will be for the officers to follow them without any confusion. Apart from this, LAPD policies show that it aims to train its officers to take into account the situation they are in while pursuing an offender. It helps them to visualize the chances of successful outcome. On the other hand, California Department’s emphasis is more on the safety of its officers and general public. New Jersey’s policies are slightly different in this regard as they also take into account the future implications of failure in the pursuit (PersuitWatch, 2003).
In conclusion, the policies of these three departments might seem similar from the first point of view, but if they are carefully analyzed, it becomes clear that they differ in terms of the importance they allot to safety, conditions of pursuit and a degree of crime which, in turn, influence the decisions and actions of police officers.
3. In my opinion the vehicle pursuit policy should take into account the following factors:
- Firstly, safety of public and police officers should be given utmost importance. No matter how severe the offence is, the safety of public and officers should be prioritized.
- Secondly, the conditions and surroundings like weather, population density, traffic, nearest emergency facilities should also be considered.
- Thirdly, decision to initiate a chase should be taken by informing the authorities at the police department and by taking their input into consideration so that the possible risks involved in it are highlighted.
- Fourthly, the officers involved in vehicle pursue should check what kind of backup plan or assistance is available if the situation gets out of control.
- What is more, the police officers that are responsible for such tasks should be given proper training so that the chances of mistakes and faulty decisions are minimized.
- Moreover, strict measures should be taken against any officer who fails to comply with the department’s policies. The proper implementation of policies should be ensured through checks and balances.
- Lastly, all these policies should not be limited to paper work or documentation only. It should be ensured that these are practically followed as well; and official inquiry should be taken against those who deviate from the official policies (California Attorney Resources, 2012).
