NCJ Number
141992
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: (1992) Pages: 69-88
Date Published
1992
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Personal interviews were conducted with police officers from 29 police and sheriffs' departments in Illinois to ascertain officer attitudes toward police pursuit policies.
Abstract
The police field interview form consisted of 11 structured but open-ended questions dealing with the officers' understanding of pursuit policy. The findings showed considerable confusion among officers and line supervisors concerning their departments' pursuit policies. The officers tended to understand what was acceptable behavior in the field and to structure their pursuit incident reports to fit the perceived requirements and limitations set by the department. Three control mechanisms were cited by officers as influencing their behavior on the street: pursuit guidelines, pursuit training, and supervision. Guidelines should be understandable and clear in their justification for pursuits. Officer training should cover acceptable risk, pursuit safety, and pursuit driving training. Some of the issues related to supervision that emerged during the interviews included civil and criminal liability and the need for departmental critical incident review boards. 21 references