Policy Text
Policy
311Fremont Police Department
Vehicle Pursuits
311.1 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).
311.1.1 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.
Public Safety Blocking – The positioning of one or more city vehicles to limit the travel of a
stationary vehicle that is occupied by an incapacitated driver.
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.
Controlled Deflation Device – A device designed to puncture the tires of a stationary vehicle,
referred to as a Federal Signal Stinger Rat Trap.
Follow – When authorized by a supervisor, Officers may continue to follow the driver of a
vehicle which has been subject to a deployment of a tire deflation device, even if the initial crime
investigation does not meet the criteria to qualify for a pursuit, as long as both the officer and driver
obey the rules of the road and the driver does not attempt to evade the officer (as defined as a
"Failure to Yield" under section 370.3). Supervisors should request additional support (if available)
from air units or unmarked officers to continue to follow the vehicle if available. For the purpose
of this policy, "Rules of the Road" are considered a blatant disregard to public safety violations
such as, but not limited to, excessive speed, failure to obey traffic lights or traffic control signs,
or driving behaviors that show a disregard for public safety. Vehicle mechanical violations should
not be considered a violation of the rules of the road.
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.
StarChase - An air pressure system attached to the front of a police vehicle that contains a GPS
tag/dart. When activated, the tag is released from the police vehicle, affixes to the suspect vehicle,
and reports GPS data of the suspect vehicle.
Terminate - To discontinue a pursuit or stop chasing fleeing vehicles.
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Published with permission by Fremont Police DepartmentVehicle Pursuits - 1
Fremont Police Department
Vehicle Pursuits
Tire deflation device - A device designed to be placed on the roadway and puncture the tires of
a fleeing vehicle, sometimes referred to as a "Stop Stick."
Trail - Following the path of the pursuit at a safe speed while obeying all traffic laws and without
activating emergency equipment. If the pursuit is at a slow rate of speed, the trailing vehicle
will maintain sufficient distance from the pursuit vehicles so as to clearly indicate an absence of
participation in the pursuit.
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.
311.2 POLICY
It is the policy of this department to balance the need to apprehend a fleeing suspect with the
risks associated with vehicle pursuits.
311.3 FAILURE TO YIELD
Officers who encounter a driver who "fails to yield" may continue to follow the driver as long as both
the officer and driver obey the rules of the road and the driver does not attempt to evade the officer.
A "Failure to Yield" differs from a vehicle pursuit in that the driver committing a "Failure to Yield" is
not driving in a manner that would reasonably be interpreted as deliberately attempting to evade,
willfully flee, or elude the officer, as described in Vehicle Code § 2800.1(a). For the purposes
of this policy, a driver committing a "Failure to Yield" may drive at safe speeds and obey traffic
signals but does not yield or stop, as required.
If, at any point during a "Failure to Yield," the driver's actions cause the officer or supervisor to
believe that the situation has escalated to a vehicle pursuit, the officer will immediately disengage
unless the specific pursuit criteria of this policy are met.
311.4 INITIATING A PURSUIT
Officers are authorized to initiate a pursuit when it is reasonable to believe the officer reasonably
believes that a suspect, who has been given an appropriate signal to stop by a law enforcement
officer, is attempting to evade arrest or detention by fleeing in a vehicle. A pursuit may be initiated
under the following circumstances:
(a)Officers may pursue persons they have reasonable suspicion have committed a violent
or serious felony, or are committing a violent or serious felony. With the exception
of residential burglary and certain misdemeanors involving firearms (outlined under
Misdemeanors Involving a Firearm), pursuits are not authorized for property crimes,
misdemeanors, or infractions. Supervisors must balance risks to the public with the
need to apprehend the offender