Police High-Speed Pursuits and Responses - Research Paper Example

?Police High Speed Pursuits and Responses Introduction Police high-speed pursuits are increasing the number of deaths occurring from police pursuits.The Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, Sir Alistair Graham, expressed his concern over the still continued police pursuits or answering to emergency calls although officers are not properly trained and they do not have right vehicles to be used in the chase (Rayner par. 4). Research has falsified the myth that most suspects are serious offenders, as Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina, states, “Most are deadbeats making stupid decisions to avoid being caught for not having a license or some offense that would be very minor compared to what happens when they initiate a pursuit” (Alvord par. 3). Latest court rulings, including a United States Supreme Court ruling given five years back, put off it to the enforcing officer to take the decision in high speed pursuits. As a plaintiff’s responsibility of providing evidence may be higher, such cases still carry the risk. It proves the need of a well established policy over police pursuit. A well written high-speed pursuit policy stipulates guidelines explaining what elements are critical and what are ignorable. Rules are given in written form in pursuit policies to help chasing officers to organize or quit the chase by adhering to the rules (AMIC 2-3). Recurrent fatalities in road accidents from police vehicles form the biggest single entity of deaths resulting from police action, thus, a major number of cases are referred to the IPCC in the UK. Although there has been much discussion among the surrounding communities and the police over chase incidents but level of awareness is still low to arouse debate on the issue. An analysis of the cases referred to IPCC has helped in rectifying the mistakes at policy and practice level (IPCC 1). Civilian fatalities following police related road traffic incidents - England & Wales Financial Year Pursuit related ?Emergency response 'Other incidents' ? Total fatalities ? ?2004/05 ?23 ?6 ?15 ?44 ?2005/06 ?32 ?4 ?12 ?48 ?2006/07 ?19 ?3 ?14 ?36 ?2007/08 ?17 ?2 ?5 ?24 ?2008/09 ?22 ?6 ?12 ?40 ?2009/10 ?19 3 7 29 ?2010/11 ?13 ?4 ?9 ?26 Source: Statistics for England and Wales annual reports At higher administrative level, need to revise the driver training parameters have been felt to bring down the number of road hits and injuries from accidents. Comparing the number of accidents by the public and the policemen in Britain, nothing can be said for sure, as the data in the above table indicates but subsequent improvement in controlling pursuit related accidents has been accomplished but the number of injuries to the policemen while on the roads can be critically decisive to their performance. Adequate training to the police drivers can further control the rise in accidents, as after-effects on the health of police officers themselves could be harsh in physical terms (Fletcher 1). The aim of this research is to prove whether it is advisable to take the risks of high-speed police pursuits relatively to the rewards from them. Such pursuits are dangerous and life threatening for all concerned, and even not-aware citizens becoming sudden victims. Policies are required to be changed to control possible pursuits and the parameters employed to decide or terminate such pursuits (Player 2). High Speed Pursuit Policy The high-speed pursuit policy should help policemen in decision-making while considering various elements, such as: (a) the category of the offense; (b) the strategy of the offender's running; (c) the limit of recognizing the offender; (d) prior hints of the offender's lead direction; (e) the current expertise of other officers to nab the offender; (f) idea of past activities of the offender; (g) the possibility that the offender is carrying weapons or may use force to escape; (h) the possibility of material loss to individuals or property caused from the pursuit; (i) the fitness of the police vehicle; consideration of the road and climate (Text Files 1) Police pursuit for arresting culprits can be organized conditionally for: (a) A risk to peace from the concurrent misdemeanor in the full view of the police officers with the recurrence possibility in near future; or (b) A breach of law pertaining to state highway and vehicle. It is not essential for the pursuit officer to view the running offender uninterruptedly but the pursuit should be incessant without any unjustifiable delays. The officer on pursuit should not indulge in irrelevant activities. If it happens, the pursuit needs to be stopped. In any case, the dispatch should be informed about the pursuit so that he further informs the shift supervisor about it (Text Files Sec: 4). If the officer feels that he cannot nab the offender who may cross into another region, he needs to inform the dispatch about the development so that the dispatch informs further to the police officers of that region that the offender can enter their jurisdiction, and at the same time, the dispatch should inform the shift supervisor instantly. A peace officer on the pursuit should never cross international border; it must come to an end at the border crossing (Text Files Sec: 4). Literature Review Once the policy is formed, its standard and problems need a review. Beckman, (qtd. in Napier 15) supports the idea that a review of the International Association of Chiefs of Police model of pursuit policy can lead to the policy writing. Some better policies as the Southfield (Michigan) Police Department policy, and the Los Angeles (California) Sheriff’s Department, need to be analyzed for standardization in policies. These policies are attentively formulated, including many relevant problems, demanding analysis of the seriousness of the felony to be measured against the risk of the pursuit, offering to discontinue the pursuit, as stated by Beckman who has outlined some routine problems attended to in better policies. They include: (1) the timing of a pursuit; (2) number of units allowed; (3) duties of the leading and secondary units; (4) driving techniques; (5) helicopter need; (6) communications; (7) seizure; (8) sudden stopping of the pursuit; (9) supervisory duties; (10) ammunition usage; (11) offense types traffic wrongs, crime (kinds and degree of seriousness); (12) hindering, ramming, boxing, roadblocks; (13) total speed controls; (14) inter-state considerations; (15) fitness of vehicle, driver, road, climate, traffic; (16) risks to users of highway; and (17) reporting and after-pursuit research (Napier 15-16). General rules should be framed over limiting the pursuit strength to two, advocating the help of helicopter, communication details over the crime, the suspect and vehicle, the movement, the speed, and traffic situation. The supervisor on duty needs to check the relevant information to order progression towards pursuit or break to it. Once the culprit is held in custody of the primary officer, rest of the officers need to stay away until the primary officer asks help. Officers can only return fire, not initiate use of fire-arms. Ramming is not allowed under the Fourth Amendment, but can be selectively used in the case of life risking crimes. Boxing is not encouraged but is permitted by departments rarely. Roadblocks are allowed by some departments, but only when there is no other route to nab the offender. All policy issues need to be handled by various police departments depending on the philosophy related to a policy representing the department (Napier 16). Discussion It is high time to develop strict guidelines to control police pursuits, as the mobile pursuit of running after suspects creates danger to the lives of the officers, the shady characters, and the common people. An officer on the seat of the “authorized emergency vehicle” needs to drive the vehicle considering the security of the passers-by by equalizing the danger with his duty to the law by deciding the authenticity of the pursuit. The pursuit needs to be terminated if the officer on the pursuit deems it to be life-threatening to any of the parties involved or not-involved (Player 3). High-speed police pursuits need not to be organized if the following situations prevail: • The officer is driving a marked or unmarked vehicle that is operating without emergency lights and siren; • The suspect runs away after committing the offence: • Any Class C offense, including traffic; and/or • A non-risky traffic violation, irrespective of the type of offense. • The suspect has committed a violation only, and his identity is not unknown to the officer, not including the suspected DWI/DUI • The officer’s vehicle is being used to transport a prisoner, witness, suspect, complainant, or other non-police passenger who is yet to sign a liability release in the vehicle at the time of pursuing • The officer’s vehicle either marked or unmarked, is not meant to carry on pursuit, including patrol Ford Expedition, K-9 pick-up truck, L&W utility vehicle, prisoner transport van, CIB program vehicle, etc. • The road condition is unfit for the pursuit to be organized for an offence involving violence; all precautions for security have not been taken although the pursuit is worth taking the risk (Player 3). Thoughts before Pursuit The officer needs to consider the following before taking a decision to pursue: • Kind of the violation; • Condition (fitness) of the pursuit vehicle; • Road should be safe to conduct a pursuit; • Traffic condition (rush of vehicles and pedestrians; • Climate conditions; • Age and identity of the felony; • Movement of the vehicle, whether it is away from traffic or not (Player 3). Termination There are various reasons that demand cancellation of the pursuit, such as: 1. If any officer inspecting the pursuit feels that the pursuit is not safe, the termination of the pursuit needs to be declared by the officer. 2. Termination broadcast needs to be repeated with an alarm signal to announce the termination of the pursuit. a. All the respective units are supposed to stop all pursuit activities at that time. 3. The decision of the termination of a pursuit by all officers on duty needs to be taken, as based on the stated legal guidelines stipulated in section .03 Considerations Before Pursuit. Besides, risk from high speeds of the involved vehicles must be appraised. A decision on the continuation of the pursuit should be based on associated risks. 4. Pursuing officers and the pursuit monitor should discard pursuit if the offender has taken a clear edge or if the pursuing officer is out of the radio range with the dispatcher or monitor. 5. If the officer’s vehicle becomes out of order because of a mechanical fault, the pursuit needs to be halted. Such a situation can include: • Any engine alert signal on the dash, the brake failure; • Audible alert tones; • Material loss causing depreciation in the performance, control, or driving of the vehicle. It is in the interest of all that a termination of the pursuit is analyzed. It is possible if proper training is provided to use judgment. Deficiency in training can result in fatalities. Off late, classroom guidance has been started for the police personnel for providing training on pursuit planning, policy, and determining of responsibility. Earlier, agencies offered pursuit-driving tactics to the officers only on the vehicles; classroom training was not given. Officers were guided on how to pursue but not over the timing to pursue. Due to insufficient training, officers seldom attended practice classes. Law enforcement needs to give importance to pursuit training, as it is awarded to armament training. Gaining the intelligence on when to shoot is as critical as is how to shoot (Player 3). The trend on pursuit training has changed with more and more agencies providing pursuit training to the police officers. New officers are lucky relatively to the veteran officers in getting pursuit training; veteran officers are generally ignored, as their academy days are over, creating a deficiency in their training regimen in comparison to new officers (Player 4). Police departments should be pro-alert in the matter of high-speed pursuits. Concurrently, training and liability have become live issues to control the police pursuits. It is clear that a common policy can not be applied on all kinds of police pursuits. Officers need to take a wise decision on whether their pursuits will put to risks the lives of innocent and offenders alike or not (Player 4). Termination of the pursuit is the best alternative to minimize risks to one and all. There is no exaggeration that too many pursuits need to be controlled through termination. Study on pursuit data and statistics indicate that termination can decrease the number of traffic accidents, fatalities, and injuries suddenly. Police must reexamine their approach to nab offenders. Police departments cannot easily explain putting at risk the lives of masses just to pursue an offender (Player 4). More than anything else, police officers need to depend on their mind capability when they “light up” a vehicle. Their minds are prepared to take the recourse if the suspect does not follow their warning signal to halt. They should interrogate themselves on whether the pursuit policy of the department allows the pursuit, what other choices are available, whether the prevailing conditions related to traffic, climate, and time are suitable for the pursuit, and finally they need to foresee the possible repercussions of the pursuit. A police officer should indulge in mind gaming to reach a wise conclusion over continuance or termination of the pursuit (Player 5). Technology can play an effective role in helping police practices while organizing high-speed police pursuits. Issues related to high-speed police actions on the roads including prior appropriation, management of pursuits in continuity and their termination was analyzed in 1996 by the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) Office of Science and Technology. The Pursuit Management Task Force (PMTF) was organized by ensuring participation of such ranks as high-ranking police officers from all levels of administration from local to Federal besides knowledgeable persons from relevant areas (Player 5). Research findings made by the Home Office Police Research Group (PRG) in the area of social and management sciences, related to the functions of policemen, categorize the suggestions into operational issues, training issues, and administrative issues. Operational issues include pursuit management, use of alarms and lights when pursuit is going on, and urgency of conducting alcohol examination. Training issues include night-driving training, adequate training, adopting a standardized approach on driver training, while administrative issues include record keeping on serious PVA, need to define the police vehicle accident (PVA), and figure out the number of accidents each driver commits (Rix et al. 5). The opposing parties of the police pursuits, the suspects, state the reasons of what and why they flee away. Major reasons are driving a stolen car, avoiding arrest, and due to the impact of drink driving. They stop soon after they feel secure from the police, as it stops running after them in the chase. Termination of the pursuit brings a slow down in offenders’ speed also with in short distance. A survey on the members of the Air-borne Law Enforcement Association indicates that suspects take 90 seconds to slow down the speed after ground units cancel the pursuits. It proves that suspects return back to the controlled driving pattern soon (Schultz et al. par. 7-8). Policy Criticism Specialists of the high speed pursuits feel that policies do not deliver always when there are too many vehicles and officers of various law enforcement departments are involved. To compensate the loss, it is suggested that the commanding officer of the pursuit be made the lead officer of the pursuit. He can issue pursuit-related instructions to the patrolling officers from the head quarters. The reasoning over this system is that the patrolling officers feel adrenaline rush, which distracts them from using their discretion over the pursuit. A commanding officer in this situation can take right decision. All specialists do not agree with this idea. They doubt the discretion of the commanding officer, as he is away from the scene of action. Both opinions are right to some degree under the current status of the law (AMIC 15-16). Situation sometimes becomes ironical for pursuit officers, as suspects are aware that officers on duty are not permitting to pursue. It shows the helplessness of the officers when offenders break traffic rules knowing well that they won’t be pursued. It has promoted the feeling of inaction among cops as they are not permitted to chase these motor bikers, so they just turn their faces. This situation is pitiable (Hawkes par. 1-3). Conclusion Two critical questions are yet to be resolved. Should police take the freedom to conduct pursuit of running suspect? And, should the security of the people and the participants be preferred to the catching with the suspect? Still there are no straight forward rules to ensure that the pursuit is without risks. All on-the-road pursuits are risky, but letting the suspects flee away is more risky. The only possible solution seems to be concurrent and random training classes to be organized for the police officers. They should be continually nourished with skills training to help them take the critical pursuit decision. The balance should tilt in favor of reward over risk, as loss of life needs to be avoided at any cost (Player 7). Works Cited Alvord, Valerie. “Police Pressured to Call Off Chase.” 5 January 2003. USA TODAY. 19 June 2012 . AMIC. “High Speed Police Pursuits.” Alabama Municipal Insurance Corporation. 28 July 2008. 19 June 2012 Fletcher, Danielle. “Police Driving Accidents on the Increase.” 4 July 2008. 19 June 2012 . Hawkes, Andrew. “'Crotch rockets' and high-speed police pursuits.” 6 October 2010. 19 June 2012 . IPCC. “Road Traffic Incidents.” IPCC. 2012. 19 June 2012 . Napier, Bill. “Police Pursuit Policies.” 14 April 2000. 19 June 2012 . Player, Bass 05. “High Speed Police Chases.” 2 March, 2008. Law. 19 June 2012 . Rayner, Gordon. “Number of Police Chase Deaths Soars.” 21 June 2012. Daily Mail. . Rix, Bernard. Derek Walker and Rick Brown. “A Study of Deaths and Serious Injuries Resulting from Police Vehicle Accidents.” 1997. 19 June 2012 . Schultz, David P., Ed Hudak, and Geoffrey P. Alpert. “Evidence-Based Decisions on Police Pursuits: The Officer’s Perspective.” March 2010. 19 June 2012 . Text Files. “High Speed Pursuit - Unlike Smokey and the Bandit.” 19 June 2012 . Read More