Police Pursuits Essay - 1455 Words

There are virtually an unlimited amount of aspects about police work that places them in harm’s way every day. Some of which officers are trained to mitigate and exercise some form of control over while others are mostly out of police control. Vehicle pursuit is one instance where police have little control over and thus must adopt a mostly reactionary response rather than a proactive approach. Police officer training and preparation for such pursuits are conducted during their initial phases of training and some receive advanced Emergency Vehicle Operational and Control (EVOC) training that they will bring back to their respective agencies to provide training for the rest of their fellow officers. This is only in response to an†¦show more content†¦The court process has been creating case law and precedents that in return are dictating rules, policies, and procedures in regards to police pursuits. Cases have made it to the United States Supreme Courts that have cha llenged Fourth Amendments rights to illegal seizures. Scott v. Harris was one a few landmark cases where split second decision making by a pursuing deputy and concern for public safety was to be challenged in the nation’s highest court. While attempting to stop Victor Harris for allegedly traveling 75mph in a 55mph zone, Harris failed to yield for a deputy emitting emergency lights and siren. After receiving permission from Deputy Timothy Scott’s Shift Sergeant, Deputy Scott rammed Harris’s vehicle by performing a Pursuit Interception Technique (P.I.T.) maneuver. Harris, who was not wearing a seatbelt, crashed his vehicle into a ditch, launching it in an end-over-end crash that left Harris paralyzed from the waist down. Harris sued in District Court alleging a violation of his Fourth Amendment Rights in that Officer Scott had used excessive force to terminate the chase. Harris â€Å"claimed qualified immunity as a government official acting in [a] official capa city† (Oyez, n.d., p.1). The District Court and 11th Circuit Court denied his claim. However the US Supreme Court used the balancing of interests test and inShow MoreRelatedPolice Pursuits2868 Words   |  12 PagesDangers of Police Pursuits January 2006 Abstract Debate rages over whether high-speed pursuits are justified. And consensus is growing among local and national law enforcement for the need for stricter controls to dictate when, where and why police engage in such potentially deadly car chases. The written pursuit policies of 47 state law enforcement agencies and the nations 25 largest cities were subjected to comparative analysis. Qualitative analysis of the policies focused on factors justifyingRead More Police Pursuits Essay1210 Words   |  5 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Imagine being a police officer doing your daily routine job. You are in a patrol car on the highway, watching the cars and trucks drive by. You are also looking for speeders to warn them to be more careful and maybe you’ll ticket them. It has been a very boring day for you, since you have only been called on your radio once, and it was for an accident (fender bender). Almost at the end of your shift, a blue car drives by going ninety miles an hour, but you know theRead MoreEssay on Police Pursuits of Criminals1114 Words   |  5 PagesPolice Pursuits of Criminals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There has been a heated debate over the last few years whether police chases are worth the risk of public safety to catch a fleeing criminal. Each year these hot pursuits end in the arrest of thousands of criminals wanted for a wide array of crimes. At the same time it can cause injury and some times even death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a huge misconception that police are out chasing the red-light violator or the burned-out tail light criminal. This is not the caseRead MoreExploring the Effectiveness and Dangers of High Speed Police Pursuits2136 Words   |  9 PagesIt is common for Hollywood to glamorise high speed police chases, often depicted with police vehicles speeding through the streets with sirens blaring and the offender always being caught without incidence, however this depiction could not be further from the truth with police chases often having serious consequences and the outcome often far from ideal. It is due to these less than ideal outcomes that the media and public at large often call for the practice to be banned or for further regulationsRead MorePursuit of Happyness Will Smith Speech1947 Words   |  8 PagesEnglish Speech – The Pursuit of Happyness The Journey movie I chose to talk about is The Pursuit of Happyness. It is an inner journey. The movie starts off showing the scenery – the Golden Gate Bridge, an American flag and the crowded busy street full of business people and the homeless. The camera then focuses on Chris Gardener and his son Christopher. Chris says throughout the movie the 6 stages of his life. It starts off with ‘Riding the bus. In ‘Riding the bus’ we learn that he lives in anRead MoreHigh speed chases1168 Words   |  5 PagesOver the years the US has seen an increase in crime. These crimes vary in severity of impact to not only the US but states, local communities, families, and individuals. At times many of these crimes require police involvement and interventions that at times create hostile and dangerous situations for both emergency personnel, innocent bystanders, and the victim themselves. It is not uncommon to hear of responding officers to emergency situations to engage in high speed chases. This has become aRead MorePolitics As A Vocation Max Weber960 Words   |  4 Pagesa means of maintaining order. Consequently, police agencies are substantively different from other agencies in a municipal government. While I would like to say my yearning to observe this difference drove me to atten d the police and fire commission at 2:30pm on Feb. 18th, in reality I thought agenda item â€Å"Pursuit Presentation† seemed pretty badass. Discussion at the meeting seemed evenly split between representatives from both the fire and police departments. In accordance with the agenda,Read MoreEssay on The Act of Search and Seizure in the United States978 Words   |  4 Pagesnecessary exercise in the ongoing pursuit of criminals. Search and seizures are used to produce evidence for the prosecution of alleged criminals. Protecting citizens from arbitrary searches, the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution is our right to limit and deny any unreasonable search and seizure. More often than not, police officers tend to take advantage of their authority by the use of coercion. Although it is unlawful, most citizens do not know what police officers can and cannot do in respectRead MoreDuty Of Care And Failure866 Words   |  4 Pages Duty of Care and Failure to Protect Doctrin e and Vehicular Pursuits Cause Lability Issues Under federal civil rights statute and tort negligence, Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 242, government officials can be held liable for damages if the official violates a plaintiff’s constitutional rights under the law (Peak, 2012). For example, if an officer arrests someone unreasonably, the Fourth Amendment guarantees everyone the right to be free of unreasonable seizure and the officer can be charged withRead MoreLaw Enforcement Should Not Be Allowed956 Words   |  4 Pagesreasons why this act should not be allowed: police high speed chases cause a countless number of casualties, are most of the time for minor infractions, and there are other ways of capturing criminals. High speed chases has caused an innumerable amount of fatalities. Most of the policemen end up getting killed or killing the person in the other vehicle. Law enforcement puts the criminals, innocent bystanders, and their lives in a risky situation. Police departments have a hard time balancing public