Research

Immunity Laws by State
Every law enforcement agency has a policy. The big question is this: Which states require that the policy be followed?
Research by Candy Priano

 

Control of Police Vehicular Pursuit
by D.P. Van Blaricom, Police Practices Expert
MPA, FBI-NA, Chief of Police (Ret.)

Law enforcement professionals unanimously agree that police vehicular pursuits are dangerous and that they must be controlled (Alpert, Kenney, Dunham, & Smith, 2000), but questions remain as to how dangerous they are and how they should be controlled. That debate has been ongoing for a long time and continues unabated today.

 

Police Pursuit: Policies and Training
National Institute of Justice — May 1997
by Geoffrey P. Alpert

The issues addressed in this study include whether the benefits of potential apprehension outweigh the risks of endangering police officers, the public, and suspects in the chase. Results of the study indicate law enforcement personnel and members of the public focused on the severity of the offense committed by the suspect when supporting a pursuit. The second most important factor was the risk to the public (as defined by traffic, road conditions, and the weather).

PursuitWatch Interview with Dr. Geoffrey Alpert

 

Book Club

Resources on Police Pursuits can be found at Kristie's Law Book Club.

 

Technology

MEVAS is an acronym for Multiple Emergency Vehicle Alert System—a revolutionary advanced alert safety system engineered for use in all emergency vehicles, such as police, fire, and ambulances, as well as by the public. Simply explained, MEVAS is comprised of two components. The first is a transmitter, which is located in an emergency vehicle. When an emergency vehicle activates its emergency lights, the MEVAS continuously transmits a 360-degree radio pulse extending to a distance of 1,500 to 2,000 feet. The second component is the receiver, which can be installed in any passenger or commercial vehicle. Upon the emergency vehicle transmitting the pulse, within a range of 1,500 to 2,000 feet, it is instantaneously received and the receiver emits visual and audible warnings, advising the driver of the presence of the emergency vehicle. This allows the driver to concentrate on the potential hazards as they approach and to take the appropriate action. Unless the receiver is receiving a radio pulse (which is a fraction of a second) from an emergency vehicle, it is able to receive additional radio pulses from other approaching emergency vehicles. It is important to note, MEVAS is not just an early warning system for police pursuits. Whether it is a high-speed police pursuit, a traffic collision, road hazard or ambulance and fire vehicles responding on city streets, MEVAS gives the driver advanced warning of potentially dangerous driving conditions. The result, “safety through innovation”. For more information, please visit our web site at www.mevas.us. “Know ahead of time……..seconds matter”

A North Carolina man has come up with a way to stop criminals during police chases. Watch NBC News video on the Pursuit Terminator.

PursuitSAFETY has recently been made aware of a developing technology that may hold some hope for ending many dangerous, deadly police vehicular pursuits. While PursuitSAFETY's focus is to help families of innocent bystanders and push for the development and implementation of public safety FIRST pursuit policies, we realize that from time-to-time pursuits will still take place. It appears that the system known as Pursuit Terminator holds out the hope that pursuits can be ended safely. Steven Tiemeier, the inventor of the Pursuit Terminator has garnered support from Stephen Dintino, the United States Tactical Resource Management Center. To learn more, visit the Pursuit Terminator Web site.
Posted August 3, 2009

GPS and OnStar: No exception to a sound pursuit policy
by John Phillips, President of PursuitWatch
Posted April 15, 2008