University of North Texas Health Science Center Police Department

Vehicular Pursuits General Order: Number 511.01

I. POLICY [41.2.2a,g]

A pursuit is justified only when the officer knows or has reasonable grounds to believe the suspect has committed or attempted to commit a felony and/or the use of deadly force is justified in apprehending the suspect.

Factors to be considered when evaluating whether or not to continue or terminate the pursuit shall include, but not be limited to: - the likelihood of personal injury or property damage - knowledge of the identity of the suspect - pedestrian or vehicle encounters - the time of day and weather conditions - the probability of apprehension - and the condition of the vehicle the officer is driving and the reason for pursuit.

It is often better to discontinue pursuit than to continue and risk human life or property. When a pursuit is initiated by an outside agency, officers from this Department shall not attempt to assist with the pursuit unless specifically requested to do so by the pursuing agency. [41.2.2h] All other Departmental guidelines will be met.

II. DEFINITIONS Pursuit As used in this General Order, a pursuit is a situation in which an officer is attempting to catch or stop a fleeing vehicle, as opposed to an attempt to overtake a vehicle that is not fleeing the officer or other officers.

III. PROCEDURE A. Pursuing Officer [41.2.2b]

1. Notify the dispatcher as soon as possible after the pursuit begins and specify the reason for the pursuit. 2. Broadcast a detailed description of the car, license plate and number of occupants, location and direction of the travel. Officer should continually update this information, if possible, as conditions change.

III. PROCEDURE (Continued)

3. Emergency lights and siren will be used for the duration of the pursuit and will be used to signal or warn other motorists that an emergency situation exists and the right of way should be relinquished to authorized emergency vehicles. Only marked police vehicles will be involved in a pursuit. [41.2.2d] 4. Maintain a safe distance between the vehicles.

III. PROCEDURE (Continued)

5. At no time shall more than one unit be directly involved in the pursuit (i.e. a police unit chasing a police unit chasing a suspect. This scenario is inappropriate). 6. The pursuing officer shall continue to weigh the need to immediately apprehend the suspect with the risk of harm to the public if the pursuit continues.

III. PROCEDURE A.6.(Continued)

The courts have held that a police officer must prove that a reasonably prudent officer, under the same or similar circumstances could have believed that there was a need to continue the pursuit. When the risk to the public outweighs the need to immediately apprehend the suspect, the officer shall immediately terminate the pursuit. [41.2.2g]

III. PROCEDURE B. Second Unit [41.2.2c] At the supervisors discretion a second unit can be assigned as a backup officer in a pursuit. The backup unit should attempt to parallel the actual pursuit path to gain an advantage should the fleeing suspect turn off course. In this situation, the second unit would likely be in a position to intercept the suspect vehicle. Under no circumstances shall the backup officer operate his/her unit in a pursuit manner (i.e. run hot) directly behind the primary pursuing unit.

III. PROCEDURE C. Supervisor [41.2.2 f,g]

The on-duty supervisor shall monitor the pursuit while evaluating the circumstances and factors involved. When, in the supervisors opinion, the risks outweigh the benefits of continuing pursuit, or the pursuit does not fall within the guidelines of this policy, he/she should order discontinuation of the pursuit.

III. PROCEDURE D. Dispatcher [41.2.2e]

The dispatcher is responsible for all communications during the pursuit. He/she is the primary lifeline to the pursuing officer. The dispatcher must maintain control of the radio traffic during a pursuit. Only the dispatcher, the on-duty supervisor and the pursuing unit should initiate radio traffic during a pursuit. Other units should maintain radio silence except in case of emergency or in response to communication from the dispatcher or the on-duty supervisor.

IV. REGULATIONS A. Only sworn officers shall occupy a pursuing unit. Citizens or noncommissioned employees shall be let out of the unit prior to pursuit. B. In case of a crash, an official report will be made on the scene, by a UNTHSC PD supervisor or by the Fort Worth Police Department Accident Investigation Unit. [41.2.2f] C. The use of roadblocks and forcible stopping is prohibited. [41.2.3ae]

IV. REGULATIONS (Continued)

D. The temperature gauge, oil pressure, etc., will be checked periodically. The pursuing unit will not be pushed beyond its limits.
E. Under no circumstances shall a firearm be discharged from a moving vehicle during a pursuit.

IV. REGULATIONS (Continued)

F. A written report of the pursuit will be made by each officer involved, as soon as possible, following the pursuit. This report shall be turned into the supervisor who was on duty at the time of the pursuit. That supervisor shall see that the proper command officers are briefed on the pursuit. If an arrest report or offense report results from the pursuit and it contains details of the pursuit, a separate report may not be necessary. In all cases the officers should be prepared to justify the pursuit. The Chief of Police or his designee will conduct an administrative review of each pursuit after receiving the written report and briefing from the supervisor who was on duty at the time of the pursuit. [41.2.2i]

IV. REGULATIONS Section F (Continued)

In all cases the officers should be prepared to justify the pursuit. The Chief of Police or his designee will conduct an administrative review of each pursuit after receiving the written report and briefing from the supervisor who was on duty at the time of the pursuit. [41.2.2i]

IV. REGULATIONS (Continued) G. The Chief of Police or his designee will conduct an annual, documented analysis of pursuit reports for the previous year. [41.2.2 j]