Policy Text
Policy
307Buena Park Police Department
Buena Park PD Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/07/22, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Buena Park Police DepartmentVehicle Pursuits - 1Vehicle Pursuits
307.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This policy provides guidelines for vehicle pursuits in order to protect the safety of involved officers,
the public, and fleeing suspects (Vehicle Code § 17004.7).
307.1.1 ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
This policy pertains to the following CALEA Standards: 41.2.2, 41.2.3
307.1.2 DEFINITIONS
Definitions related to this policy include:
Blocking - A preventive maneuver where emergency vehicles are strategically positioned to
prevent a suspect from moving their vehicle, usually before a pursuit starts or at low speeds.
Boxing-in - A low-speed tactic designed to stop a fleeing vehicle by surrounding it with emergency
vehicles and then slowing all vehicles to a stop.
Failure to yield - refers to the actions of a vehicle operator who fails to stop or respond to
the emergency light(s) and siren of a law enforcement vehicle. Generally, the vehicle operator
continues to travel forward at or below the speed limit, observes traffic control devices and other
applicable rules of the road, and does not change the direction of travel in an evasive manner.
Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) - A low-speed tactic designed to apply lateral pressure to
the rear quarter panel of a fleeing vehicle, causing it to spin out, stall, and come to a stop (also
known as a Precision Immobilization Technique).
Ramming - The deliberate act of impacting a fleeing vehicle with another vehicle to functionally
damage or otherwise force the fleeing vehicle to stop.
Roadblock - A tactic designed to stop a fleeing vehicle by intentionally placing an emergency
vehicle or other immovable object in the path of the fleeing vehicle.
Tire deflation device - A device designed to be placed on the roadway and puncture the tires of
a fleeing vehicle, sometimes referred to as spike strips.
Vehicle pursuit - An event involving one or more law enforcement officers attempting to
apprehend a suspect who is attempting to avoid arrest while operating a motor vehicle by using
high-speed driving or other evasive tactics, such as driving off a highway, turning suddenly, or
driving in a legal manner but willfully failing to yield to an officer's signal to stop.
307.2 POLICY
It is the policy of this department to balance the need to apprehend a fleeing suspect with the
risks associated with vehicle pursuits.
Buena Park Police Department
Buena Park PD Policy Manual
Vehicle Pursuits
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/07/22, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Buena Park Police DepartmentVehicle Pursuits - 2307.3 INITIATING A PURSUIT
Officers who have received appropriate training are authorized to initiate a vehicle pursuit when
the need to apprehend a fleeing suspect clearly outweighs the risks a vehicle pursuit poses for
officers and the public.
When balancing the risk of a pursuit with the need to apprehend the suspect, officers shall
consider:
(a)The seriousness of the known or reasonably suspected crime committed by the
suspect and the threat to the safety of the public if the suspect remains at large.
(b)Whether the identity of the suspect is known with enough certainty to enable
apprehension at a later time.
(c)The speed of the vehicles relative to the conditions of the area, such as the population
density, amount of vehicular and pedestrian traffic (e.g., school zones), time of day,
road conditions, environmental conditions (e.g., hills, curves, mountains), and weather
conditions.
(d)The pursuing officer's driving capabilities, familiarity with the area, and quality of radio
communications with the dispatcher/supervisor.
(e)The nature of the pursuing unit (e.g., marked vs. unmarked) and its speed
and performance capabilities in relation to the fleeing vehicle (e.g., performance
motorcycle).
(f)Whether there are other persons in or on the fleeing vehicle and their relationship to
the situation (e.g., passengers, co-offenders, hostages).
(g)Whether the pursuing unit is carrying passengers other than on-duty police officers.
Pursuits should not be undertaken with an arrestee in the pursuit vehicle unless
exigent circumstances exist.
(h)The availability of other resources such as air support or vehicle locator/deactivation
technology.
(i)The police unit is carrying passengers other than police officers. Pursuits should not
be undertaken with a prisoner(s) in the police vehicle.
307.4 PURSUIT UNITS
Vehicle pursuits should be limited to three police department emergency vehicles (two pursuit
units and the supervisor vehicle). However, an officer or supervisor may request that additional
units join a pursuit if, after assessing the factors outlined above, it reasonably appears that the
number of officers involved may be insufficient to safely arrest the number of suspects.
307.4.1 EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT
Vehicle pursuits shall only be conducted using authorized police department vehicles that are
equipped with emergency lighting and sirens as required by Vehicle Code § 21055. Each pursuit
unit's emergency lights and sirens should remain activated throughout the unit's participation in
the pursuit.
Buena Park Police Department
Buena Park PD Policy Manual
Vehicle Pursuits
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/07/22, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Buena Park Police DepartmentVehicle Pursuits - 3Officers operating vehicles not equipped with emergency lights and siren are prohibited from
pursuing a fleeing vehicle or joining