PERF Study Gives Departments Guidance on Police Pursuits

​A September 2023 AP news article reported on a Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) study that guides police departments' handling of police chases. An independent research organization, PERF focuses on issues impacting policing to provide guidance on best practices for departments nationwide.

PERF conducted the study as a part of a national effort to reduce the number of fatalities culminating from police chases. Among the information in the report, PERF offers police departments guidance on mitigating risks associated with pursuits.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) commissioned PERF to conduct the study, which provides guidelines for departments in establishing policy. These groups commissioned the research after figures from the pandemic revealed a spike in police chases even though fewer people were driving on the roads. The data showed 455 vehicular accidents involving a police pursuit culminated in fatalities during 2020, the highest since 2007 when there were 372. The reason for the accidents was that more people drove recklessly.

High-speed police chases are one of the most dangerous activities involving law enforcement. While it is commendable that officers attempt to apprehend a fleeing suspect, police chases often result in excessive risk-taking, which adversely impacts innocent bystanders, officers, other motorists, and passengers. PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler stated that people rarely go to jail for reckless driving, stealing cars, or other minor crimes. Because of this, Geoffrey Alpert, chair of the group who produced the report and a University of South Carolina researcher, suggests that police only engage in pursuits of this nature for violent crime cases.

Since offenders do not serve jail time, police departments benefit from weighing the risks of fatalities or injury resulting from police pursuits against the result. Statistics from 2009 and 2013 from the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics reported that for every 100 pursuits, 10 minor injuries and two serious injuries occurred. Moreover, 76 percent of these juries involved suspects, 21 percent involved bystanders, and three percent involved law enforcement officers. Furthermore, statistics taken from Fatality Analysis Reporting System report an average of 370.5 fatalities each year between 2015 and 2020.

The PERF report also established a guide with directives reducing the risks that police officers take while engaging in pursuits. One approach is for departments to develop strict guidelines outlining when officers should engage in a police chase, such as suspects of violent felonies. It based this rule on information from the Bureau of Justice Statistics that states that when police decide to chase a suspect, the department sees double the rate of police pursuits. In addition to establishing strict policies, departments should create a solid organizational culture that teaches their officers good decision-making skills.

The study also suggests officers implement less risky procedures when pursuing suspects. Many departments rely on the pursuit intervention technique, also known as the PIT maneuver, to apprehend suspects. A risky maneuver, the PIT forces the driver and the car sideways, thus losing control and stopping. The study suggests providing officers with training on how to execute this technique while minimizing casualties. Other less risky alternatives involve using tire deflation devices or spike strips.

Finally, the study suggests that if the officers know the suspect's identity, they should go to a less dangerous place (like home) or follow them at safe speeds, among other recommendations.

Beyond the report, some departments nationwide have already established policies for police chases. The Houston Police Department decided not to engage in police chases for traffic stops, nonviolent misdemeanors, and other minor offenses. Information highlighted that 6,300 police chases ended with 740 injuries and 27 fatalities between 2018 and 2022. Also, the New York City Police Department established policies dictating which criminal acts warrant pursuing suspects.

Varrick Douglas

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