Vehicle Pursuit Policy (new)

Introduction

This is the community-wide pursuit policy. All law enforcement and civilian members are to follow this policy at all times and a failure to follow said policy will result in disciplinary action.

Section 1 - Primary Unit

The primary unit in the pursuit is responsible for:

• Identifying additional threats including firearms, hostages, explosives, etc;

• Description of the vehicle;

• Description of occupants in a vehicle;

• Keeping eyes on the vehicle at all times;

• Executing a P.I.T. manoeuvre when cleared to do so.

Secondary Unit

The secondary unit will be the vehicle positioned second in the pursuit and is responsible for:

• Remaining a safe distance away from the primary unit;

• Broadcasting location and other important information over RTO.

Tertiary and Other Units

Additional units will take up the third, fourth, and fifth positions within the pursuit. These units are commonly taken by specialized officers, for example, a K9 unit, special traffic units, or a supervisor. The job of an these units are:

• Keeping a safe distance between the secondary and primary units;

• If K9, being prepared to release your K9 partner during a foot bail;

• If a special traffic unit, requesting to take the primary unit spot due to their faster vehicles and advanced training.

  • Special traffic units are specially trained officers and do not require permission from the pursuit supervisor to perform a vehicle disabling manoeuvre. The unit must, however, announce their intentions over RTO.

Air Units

An air unit can be called to assist in pursuit if there is one available. Air units will have the responsibility of the following:

• Take over the broadcasting location and other information about the vehicle and occupancy;

• Keep eyes on the pursuit and redirect units if they have lost the subject vehicle;

• If the suspect(s) foot bail, the air unit will have the responsibility to try and stay with the driver of the vehicle so the pursuing units can arrest the driver.

Pursuit Supervisor

The pursuit supervisor is the unit who is in charge of monitoring the pursuit, typically they are involved in it as an additional unit. The pursuit supervisor role shall be granted to the highest ranking CoC member in the pursuit. Pursuit supervisors are responsible for:

• Monitoring RTO of the pursuit;

• Monitoring safety conditions of the pursuit;

• Terminating a pursuit as needed;

• Approving vehicle disabling maneuvers as needed.

Section 2 – Pursuit Initiation

Law enforcement officers are authorized to initiate a pursuit when it is known that a suspect is attempting to evade arrest or detainment by means of a vehicle. To initiate a pursuit, the following criteria must be met:

• The suspect(s) are wanted for any crime considered to be a misdemeanour or felony;

  • The act of evading is in and of itself a misdemeanour but does not qualify the suspect for a pursuit. The suspect(s) must have already been wanted in connection with a previous charge

• Supervisors may authorize pursuits that fall outside of the previous policy when they meet the following criteria:

  • Whenever an officer can specifically articulate the danger created to the community by allowing the offender to remain at large. The suspect must pose an immediate risk to the public and demonstrate a wanton disregard for public safety;

  • Whenever an officer can articulate the public safety need to pursue specific to an on-going criminal investigation.

• Weather and traffic conditions are not a hazard to law enforcement or other civilians;

• More than one officer is available to assist the initiating unit.

Law enforcement officers are not allowed to initiate pursuits for the following reasons:

• The suspect(s) committed only traffic violations and do not pose an immediate danger to the community;

• Weather conditions would increase the risk of death or injury to officers or members of the community.

Section 3 - Pursuit Termination

The initiating officer and supervisors are authorized to terminate any pursuit for the following criteria:

• The suspect(s) location is unknown for a prolonged amount of time;

• The suspect(s) were going to be charged with non-violent misdemeanour charges and is not an imminent threat to the public;

• Weather conditions are too dangerous for the pursuit to continue;

• The pursuit would endanger bystanders or other motorists;

• The suspect(s) identity is known and immediate capture is not necessary.

Section 4 - Pursuit Speeds

Pursuit speeds are important to note as the faster a vehicle travels, the higher the chance the operator has at losing control. The following speed limits are designed for officer safety, and realism. These limits apply to both law enforcement and civilian members.

• In the area of Los Santos, speeds in pursuits may not exceed 120 miles per hour.

• While on highways and interstates, the speed limit increases to 145 miles per hour.

• In the area of Blaine County, speeds in pursuits may not exceed 145 miles per hour.

Law enforcement officers are not exempt from their normal duties to clear intersections and drive with due regard to their safety and the safety of others.

Section 5 - Vehicle Disabling Maneuvers

If it begins to look like the suspect(s) are not going to surrender themselves, the primary unit may need to begin planning for a vehicle disabling manouvere. There are typically three options to choose from depending on the needs of the pursuit, however if creativity is needed, explain the plan over radio to the pursuit supervisor.

Pursuit Intervention Technique

The P.I.T. is the most common form of a vehicle disabling manoeuvre. This involves spinning the rear of the car off balance, causing the suspect(s) to lose control. It is the job of the secondary and additional units to then surround the car to prevent fleeing. P.I.T.'s have the following criteria before they may be approved by the pursuit supervisor:

• Road conditions permit. Disqualifying road conditions include wet roads, dirt roads, and heavy traffic.

• Performing the P.I.T. will not put others on the road in danger.

• P.I.T.'s are not performed on motorcycles.

Boxing

Boxing is surrounding a vehicle on all sides with hard objects such as guardrails, walls, or other vehicles. This prevents the car from moving, allowing officers to issue commands. An alternative form of this is called a rolling box maneuver. When a vehicle is non-violent or too big to P.I.T., a rolling box may be used. This involves surrounding the vehicle on all sides with law enforcement vehicles and slowly decreasing speed. This causes the suspect(s) to also slow down, or risk injury.

Force Immobilization

Force immobilization is typically a last resort method to get a dangerous vehicle off of the roadway. This can include various things from ramming the car from the side or head-on, forcing them into a hard barrier such as a wall, or other form of blunt force to stop it.

Section 6 - Jurisdiction

The initiating officer, regardless of jurisdiction, will remain on the pursuit as it is their arrest and they are responsible for the paperwork involved.

San Andreas Highway Patrol

All troopers are authorized to attached to any pursuit that takes place or enters a highway, freeway, or interstate. If pursuit gets into either county or city roadways, pursuit positions shall be exchanged with a unit of the location within the pursuit.

Los Santos Police Department

The pursuit should be prioritized by the LSPD when taken place in the city of Los Santos (excluding city freeways, interstates, or highways). Any pursuit on Los Santos highways, interstates, or freeways only requires 1-2 state troopers and the rest being police officers within Los Santos. While active as Senora Valley, same conditions as Blaine County follow but Sheriff’s office has higher jurisdiction over same area.

Blaine County Sheriff's Office

Any pursuit taking place under county jurisdictions are to be prioritized by the Sheriff's Office. When any pursuit is then transitioned to highway or interstate, 1-2 troopers are required to be present during the pursuit. Los Santos County follow under same conditions as police department but are required to follow police department as they have primary jurisdiction.

Section 7 – Final Stop

If the pursuit comes to a final stop, the secondary unit will call out “Final stop (POSTAL), (STREET NAME)." Once the vehicle is stopped, units should perform a code 5 stop and order all suspect out of the vehicle. If any suspect(s) decide to initiate a foot pursuit, at least one unit must remain with the car.

Section 8 – Attachment To Pursuits

Compliant with the RTO Guidelines policy, units are not allowed to self attach to pursuits. A request through dispatch or the watch commander is needed, and they will assign people based on:

• Number of ground units in the pursuit, with a maximum of 5 ground units;

• Jurisdiction of the pursuit.

Section 9 - Enforcement

Failure to follow this policy will result in a written warning (10-90).