600-4 Motor Vehicle Pursuits

Question 1

The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle shall..

Answer 1

drive with due regard for the
safety of all persons and is responsible for
the consequences of reckless disregard for
the safety of others.

Question 2

Motor Vehicle Pursuit..the
suspect must exhibit ONE of the following
types of conduct:

Answer 2

willful disregard for personal safety or
the safety of others in an attempt to
avoid arrest

OR

refusal to obey an officer’s repeated
signal to stop

Question 3

The decision to engage in a motor vehicle pursuit is highly dependent upon…

Answer 3

the ability of an officer, supervisor, or commander to
CONTINUALLY ASSESS THE NEED to PURSUE VS.
the RISK OF INJURED involved (officer, public, or the suspect) in engaging in
the pursuit.

Question 4

Officers may initiate or continue a pursuit only if

all the following requirements are met:

Answer 4

the need to immediately apprehend the
suspect(s) outweighs a clear risk of
harm to the public in initiating or continuing
the pursuit

constantly evaluate the risk and
factors involved when initiating or continuing
a pursuit.

Question 5

What are the some of the FACTORS involved when intiating or continuing a pursuit?

Answer 5

seriousness of the crime

officer’s immediate
presence is necessary to apprehend
a suspect or to prevent injury or loss
of life

alternative courses of action to acheive a comparable result

Question 6

What RISK factors shall officers continually EVALUATE when initiating or continuing a pursuit?

Answer 6

Knowledge about the suspect being
pursued. (If enough information exists
to file a warrant, officers shall be expected to discontinue the pursuit)

observable driving behavior of
the suspect being pursued

Relative performance capabilities of
the pursued vehicle

Road conditions.

Weather.

Population density.

Vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The presence of other persons in the
police vehicle.

Question 7

Officers shall continually ASSESS?

Answer 7

the nature and severity of harm their actions
could cause

the likelihood any harm would occur

whether any risk of harm would be clear to a reasonably prudent officer

Question 8

The designated on-duty field supervisor is responsible for?

Answer 8

Command of the pursuit

immediately and succinctly advising the dispatcher if the
pursuit should continue based upon
communication and the assessment of
the circumstances

monitor all radio communications
related to the pursuit and make every effort
to ensure only authorized units participate
in the pursuit

when time and air traffic allow supervisors shall affirmatively break the air and remind officers:

To maintain their professional composure.

AND

That the pursuit shall result in a high risk
vehicle approach

Question 9

What are some examples of why a motor vehicle may be continued by a supervisor or the “need to immediatley apprehend the suspect outweighs a clear risk of harm to the public”?

Answer 9

deadly weapon involved, serious bodily injury inflicted, hostage taken, or a flagrant DWl

Question 10

For pursuits last less than fifteen minutes within how many days must a supervisor review all available information from the pursuit and also supplement
the report with any available relevant
or pertinent information?

Answer 10

Five calender days of the pursuit

Question 11

An officer may initiate or continue a pursuit
only if all the following requirements are
met. The officer’s police vehicle is:

Answer 11

Equipped with working emergency lights
and sirens.

AND

Believed to be in sound mechanical
condition including, but not limited to,
brakes, steering, and police radio systems

Question 12

True or False: Vehicles transporting prisoners, witnesses, suspects, complainants, or other non-police
personnel shall be used to initiate or
participate in a pursuit?

Answer 12

False. Vehicle containing any of the listed people shall NOT be used to initiate or participate in a pursuit.

Question 13

True or False: Officers in unmarked
police vehicles who reasonably
suspect a criminal offense has occurred
and immediate action is warranted, may attempt
to ______ a fleeing vehicle until a
marked unit with operable emergency
equipment arrives to initiate the pursuit?

Answer 13

Follow.

Question 14

A pursuit initiated by a solo unit (HPD motorcycle)
may be reassigned to the first arriving
marked patrol unit?

Answer 14

False. The first arriving marked patrol unit SHALL be reassigned to the first arriving marked patrol unit.

Question 15

A field supervisor may approve additional

units if any of the following situations exist:

Answer 15

There are an insufficient number of officers
in the authorized units to safely effect
an arrest.

OR

An authorized unit is unable to continue
the pursuit or the dispatcher has been
informed an authorized unit is terminating
its involvement. In this case, the field
supervisor shall authorize replacement
units as needed.

Question 16

Before any stopping technique is deployed,

officers shall:

Answer 16

be adequately trained by
Training Division personnel in its proper use

AND

shall assess the risk of bodily harm to
bystanders, any passengers in the suspect’s
vehicle, themselves, or the suspect
as a result of using a stopping technique
versus the threat to the public if the pursuit
continues.

Question 17

The following stopping techniques may be
used provided the field supervisor authorizes
the use and the techniques are used in
accordance with current department procedures:

Answer 17

Standard Roadblocks, Rolling Roadblocks, Tire Deflation Devices, or Slow-Speed Diverting Tactics

Question 18

Who may terminate a pursuit?

Answer 18

Officer in the primary unit, On-duty officer holding the rank of sergeant or above, On-scene Tactical Flight Officer

Question 19

If the pursuit is not initiated or is terminated
without apprehending a suspect and the
identity of the suspect is known, the primary
unit shall?

Answer 19

Attempt to obtain a to-be warrant
through the appropriate district attorney’s
office prior to the end of the officer’s shift.

Question 20

An officer may initiate or continue a pursuit only if all the following requirements are met. The officer’s police vehicle is:

Answer 20

Equipped with working emergency lights and sirens.

AND

Believed to be in sound mechanical condition
including, but not limited to, brakes, steering, and
police radio systems.

Question 21

This method may be used only if the suspect is not speeding but is willfully failing to stop.

Answer 21

Rolling roadblocks.

Question 22

Any employee who deploys a tire deflation device (a.k.a. “spike strip”) must supplement the original report indicating the…..

Answer 22

the approximate location where the device was deployed, whether or not the target vehicle or others ran over the device, and if applicable, why the vehicle did not run over the device.

Question 23

The field supervisor assigned to the pursuit shall complete ______ at the conclusion of the pursuit.

Answer 23

Houston Police Department Vehicle Pursuit Form.

The form shall be completely filled out and submitted regardless of the duration of the pursuit. The completed form shall be immediately faxed to the Command Center and the field supervisor’s division shall maintain a copy. The original form shall be forwarded through the chain of command to the division’s assistant chief.