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High Speed Pursuits: An International Dilemma

NCJ Number
123250
Journal
Police Volume: 21 Issue: 12 Dated: (August/September 1989) Pages: 20-21,28
Author(s)
J O'Keefe
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Houston Police Department has developed a strategy for reducing the danger of high-speed pursuits through measures designed to prevent a high-speed pursuit and to reduce the likelihood that a high-speed pursuit will have injurious outcomes.
Abstract
Preventive measures include the dispensing of public information on traffic stop procedures. Such information is designed to convince citizens of the reasonableness of stopping when directed to do so by an officer. For police, preventive measures focus on measures to reduce the occurrence of high-speed pursuits. This includes instruction in the inherent risk of any pursuit, training in the tactics of making effective traffic stops, and training in approaching known felons. Prevention also focuses on keeping officers from repeating inappropriate pursuits. This involves feedback to the officers involved, officers' completion of a departmental form that is entered in a data set, an ongoing analysis of the chase data set for training implications, and early warning systems for officers constantly involved in pursuits. For the pursuit situation itself, the Houston Police Department has clear policy and procedural guidance, constant radio communication during any chase, an ongoing evaluation of the risk of a chase in progress, and the assistance of helicopters.