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Policy 428Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/12/08, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentFoot Pursuits - 1Foot Pursuits 428.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE This policy provides guidelines to assist officers in making the decision to initiate or continue the pursuit of suspects on foot. 428.2 POLICY It is the policy of this Department that officers, when deciding to initiate or continue a foot pursuit, continuously balance the objective of apprehending the suspect with the risk and potential for injury to Department members, the public or the suspect. Officers are expected to act reasonably, based on the totality of the circumstances. 428.3 DECISION TO PURSUE The safety of Department members and the public should be the primary consideration when determining whether a foot pursuit should be initiated or continued. Officers must be mindful that immediate apprehension of a suspect is rarely more important than the safety of the public and Department members. Officers may be justified in initiating a foot pursuit of any individual the officer reasonably believes is about to engage in, is engaging in or has engaged in criminal activity. The decision to initiate or continue such a foot pursuit, however, must be continuously re-evaluated in light of the circumstances presented at the time. Mere flight by a person who is not suspected of criminal activity shall not serve as justification for engaging in an extended foot pursuit without the development of reasonable suspicion regarding the individual’s involvement in criminal activity or being wanted by law enforcement. Deciding to initiate or continue a foot pursuit is a decision that a sworn officer must make quickly and under unpredictable and dynamic circumstances. It is recognized that foot pursuits may place Department members and the public at significant risk. Therefore, no officer or supervisor shall be criticized or disciplined for deciding not to engage in a foot pursuit because of the perceived risk involved. If circumstances permit, surveillance and containment are generally the safest tactics for apprehending fleeing persons. In deciding whether to initiate or continue a foot pursuit, a sworn officer should continuously consider reasonable alternatives to a foot pursuit based upon the circumstances and resources available, such as: (a)Containment of the area. (b)Saturation of the area with law enforcement personnel, including assistance from other agencies. (c)A canine search. (d)Thermal imaging or other sensing technology. Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Foot Pursuits Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/12/08, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentFoot Pursuits - 2(e)Air support. (f)Apprehension at another time when the identity of the suspect is known or there is information available that would likely allow for later apprehension, and the need to immediately apprehend the suspect does not reasonably appear to outweigh the risk of continuing the foot pursuit. 428.4 GENERAL GUIDELINES When reasonably practicable, officers should consider alternatives to engaging in or continuing a foot pursuit when: (a)Directed by a supervisor to terminate the foot pursuit; such an order shall be considered mandatory (b)The officer is acting alone. (c)Two or more officers become separated, lose visual contact with one another, or obstacles separate them to the degree that they cannot immediately assist each other should a confrontation take place. In such circumstances, it is generally recommended that a single officer keep the suspect in sight from a safe distance and coordinate the containment effort. (d)The officer is unsure of his/her location and direction of travel. (e)The officer is pursuing multiple suspects and it is not reasonable to believe that the officer would be able to control the suspect should a confrontation occur. (f)The physical condition of the officer renders him/her incapable of controlling the suspect if apprehended. (g)The officer loses radio contact with the dispatcher or with assisting or backup officers. (h)The suspect enters a building, structure, confined space, isolated area or dense or difficult terrain, and there are insufficient officers to provide backup and containment. The primary officer should consider discontinuing the foot pursuit and coordinating containment pending the arrival of sufficient resources. (i)The officer becomes aware of unanticipated or unforeseen circumstances that unreasonably increase the risk to officers or the public. (j)The officer reasonably believes that the danger to the pursuing officers or public outweighs the objective of immediate apprehension. (k)The officer loses possession of his/her firearm or other essential equipment. (l)The officer or a third party is injured during the pursuit, requiring immediate assistance, and there are no other emergency personnel available to render assistance. (m)The suspect’s location is no longer definitely known. Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Foot Pursuits Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/12/08, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentFoot Pursuits - 3(n)The identity of the suspect is established or other information exists that will allow for the suspect’s apprehension at a later time, and it reasonably appears that there is no immediate threat to Department members or the public if the suspect is not immediately apprehended. (o)The officer’s ability to safely continue the pursuit is impaired by inclement weather, darkness or other environmental conditions. 428.5 RESPONSIBILITIES IN FOOT PURSUITS 428.5.1 INITIATING OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES Unless relieved by another officer or a supervisor, the initiating officer shall be responsible for coordinating the progress of the pursuit. When acting alone and when practicable