PursuitSAFETY

PursuitSAFETY® advocates well-defined law enforcement policy to ensure the safety of both officers and the public they serve. We also advocate:
•limiting vehicular police pursuits to violent felony offenders, when the need to immediately apprehend a suspect is so great as to outweigh the inherent dangers of the pursuit to innocent bystanders and there is no other way to apprehend them,
•policies that clearly define speed limits for peace officers when they respond to calls,
•mandatory training of officers in their agency’s pursuit policy at least every two years,
•mandatory reporting of deaths and injuries, as well as property damage, in pursuit-related collisions through NHTSA, and
•the removal of immunity shields for officers and agencies to ensure they do not violate their own pursuit and response call policies.

We advocate tougher, consistent penalties for fleeing drivers by pushing for legislation to make fleeing and eluding the police a felony punishable with mandatory prison time. We support civil forfeiture of the fleeing driver’s vehicle.

We support innocent victims of pursuits and response calls. We provide bereaved families and injured victims empathy and advice.
We research law enforcement’s use of pursuit, as well as practical alternatives to pursuit. We gather data on pursuit-related collisions. We research alternative methods of suspect apprehension.

Our Educational Program titled “Pull Over; Have No Regrets” targets young drivers, with emphasis on teens who reside in juvenile hall. Parents, educators, and the public of all ages need to teach young drivers that police pursuits kill—that the consequences for pulling over are much less than what could happen if they flee. Many times when drivers flee from the police, it leads to their death and the deaths of innocent bystanders.

Legislative Initiatives can help make safer suspect apprehension a reality. We asked Congress to add “pursuit reduction technology” to the list of allowable uses for Byrne grants to law enforcement.

We offer assistance to law enforcement through our online collection of pursuit facts, model pursuit policies, and training resources.

We will speak about our work to your law enforcement agency, training academy class, civic association, or school. Contact [email protected] for our list of available speakers.