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Uniform
Statewide Pursuit Policy
The Regulations of
Connecticut State Agencies are amended by adding sections 14-283a-1 to
14-283a-4, inclusive, as follows: (NEW) Section 14-283a-1. PURPOSE The purpose of this policy
is to establish a Uniform Statewide Pursuit Policy in accordance with the
provisions of Public Act 99-171. This
policy shall serve as the minimum standard for all police pursuits in Connecticut. Additional requirements adopted by an
individual police agency shall not conflict with any provision of this
policy. (NEW) Section 14-283a-2. POLICY Pursuits of fleeing motor
vehicles may present a danger to the lives of the public, officers, and those
vehicle occupants involved in the pursuit.
Each police agency shall be responsible for assisting police officers
in the safe performance of their duties. (NEW) Section 14-283a-3. DEFINITIONS (1) "Pursuit" means an attempt by a police officer in an
authorized emergency vehicle to apprehend any occupant of another moving
motor vehicle, when the driver of the fleeing vehicle is attempting to avoid
apprehension by maintaining or increasing the speed of such vehicle or by
ignoring the police officer's attempt to stop such vehicle. (2) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means a police vehicle
equipped with operable emergency equipment, including audible siren and red
or blue flashing lights, while such vehicle is being operated by a police
officer. (3) "Primary unit" means the police vehicle operated by a
police officer that initiates a pursuit or any police vehicle operated by a
police officer that assumes control of the pursuit. (4) "Secondary unit" means any police vehicle operated by
a police officer that becomes involved as a backup to the primary unit and
follows the primary unit at a safe distance. (5) "Supervisor" means a person designated by the police
agency to have supervisory control over the operation of the agency’s
vehicles during a pursuit. (6) “Communications” means the central dispatch center
or personnel staffing the central dispatch center of the police agency in the
jurisdiction where the pursuit is occurring. (7) “Uniform Statewide Pursuit Policy, ” known as
"the policy" or "this policy," means Sections 14-283a-1
to 14-283a-4, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. (8) “Police agency” means the Division of State Police
within the Department of Public Safety, including local police officers
serving in municipalities with a Resident State Trooper, or an organized
municipal police department. (NEW) Section 14-283a-4. PROCEDURES (a)
Initiation of Pursuit. (1) The decision to initiate a pursuit shall
be based on the pursuing police officer’s conclusion that the immediate
danger to the police officer and the public created by the pursuit is less
than the immediate or potential danger to the public should the occupants of
such vehicle remain at large. (2) In deciding whether to initiate a pursuit,
the police officer shall take the following factors into consideration: (A) Road,
weather and environmental conditions; (B) Population
density and vehicular and pedestrian traffic; (C) Whether the identity of the
occupants is known and immediate apprehension is not necessary to protect the
public or police officers and apprehension at a later time is feasible; (D) The relative performance
capabilities of the pursuit vehicle and the vehicle being pursued; (E) The
seriousness of the offense; and (F) The
presence of other persons in the police vehicle. (b)
Pursuit Operations. (1) All authorized emergency vehicle
operations shall be conducted in strict conformity with Sections 14-283a-1 to
14-283a-4, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, and
section 14-283a of the Connecticut General Statutes. (2)
Upon engaging in or entering into a pursuit, the pursuing vehicle shall
activate appropriate warning equipment.
An audible warning device shall be used during all such pursuits. (3)
Upon engaging in a pursuit, the police officer shall immediately notify
communications of the location, direction and speed of the pursuit, the description
of the pursued vehicle and the initial purpose of the stop. The police officers shall keep
communications updated on the pursuit.
Communications personnel shall immediately notify any available
supervisor of the agency or agencies involved in such pursuit, clear the
radio channel of non-emergency traffic, and relay necessary information to
other police officers of the involved police agency or agencies, and adjacent
police agencies in whose direction the pursuit is proceeding. (4) When engaged in a pursuit, police officers
shall drive with due regard for the safety of persons and property. (5) Unless circumstances dictate otherwise, a
pursuit shall consist of no more than three police vehicles, one of which
shall be designated as the primary unit.
No other personnel shall join the pursuit unless instructed to
participate by a supervisor. (6) The primary unit involved in the pursuit
shall become secondary when the fleeing vehicle comes under police air
surveillance or when another unit has been assigned primary responsibility. (c)
Supervisory Responsibilities. (1) When made aware of a pursuit, the
appropriate supervisor shall evaluate the situation and conditions that
caused the pursuit to be initiated, the need to continue the pursuit, and
shall monitor incoming information, coordinate and direct activities as
needed to ensure that proper procedures are used. Such supervisor shall also have the authority to terminate the
pursuit. When the agency supervisor
communicates a termination directive, all agency vehicles shall disengage
warning devices and cease the pursuit. (2) Where possible, a supervisory police officer shall
respond to the location where a vehicle has been stopped following a pursuit. (d) Pursuit Tactics. (1) Police officers not engaged in the pursuit
as the primary or secondary unit shall not normally follow the pursuit on
parallel streets unless authorized by a supervisor or when it is possible to
conduct such an operation without unreasonable hazard to other vehicular or
pedestrian traffic. (2) When feasible, available patrol units
having the most prominent markings and emergency lights shall be used to
pursue, particularly as the primary unit.
When a pursuit is initiated by other than a marked patrol unit, such
unit shall become the secondary unit when a marked unit becomes available as
the primary unit, and such unit shall disengage from the pursuit when another
marked unit becomes available as the secondary unit. (3) Motorcycles may be used for a pursuit in
exigent circumstances including, but not limited to, situations where a
felony has been committed, deadly force has been used by a vehicle occupant,
or the pursuit is necessary to preserve a life, provided that weather and
related conditions allow such pursuit to continue. Motorcycles shall disengage from the pursuit when support from
marked patrol units becomes available. (4) All intervention techniques short of
deadly force shall be used when it is possible to do so in safety and when
the police officers utilizing them have received appropriate training in
their use. Such techniques shall
include, but not be limited to, boxing in the vehicle or using controlled
termination devices (5) Firearms shall not be discharged from
pursuit vehicles while such vehicles are in motion, except to the extent
necessary to protect a police officer or innocent person from the imminent
use of deadly physical force.
Roadblocks are prohibited unless specifically authorized by the
supervisor in charge after consideration of the necessity of applying deadly
physical force to end the pursuit. (6) Once the pursued vehicle is stopped,
police officers shall utilize appropriate police officer safety tactics and
shall be aware of the necessity to utilize only the force the police officer
reasonably believes to be necessary to take occupants into custody. (e)
Termination of the Pursuit. (1) The police officer serving as the primary
unit engaged in the pursuit shall continually re-evaluate and assess the
pursuit situation, including all of the initiating factors, and terminate the
pursuit whenever he or she reasonably believes that the risks associated with
continued pursuit are greater than the public safety benefit of making an
immediate apprehension. (2) The pursuit
may be terminated by the primary unit at any time. (3) A supervisor may order the termination of
a pursuit at any time and shall
order the termination of a pursuit when the potential danger to the public
outweighs the need for immediate apprehension. Such decision shall be based on information known to the
supervisor at the time of the pursuit. (4) A pursuit may be terminated if the
identity of the occupants has been determined, immediate apprehension is not
necessary to protect the public or police officers, and apprehension at a
later time is feasible. (5) A pursuit may be terminated when the police
officers are prevented from communicating with their supervisors,
communications or other police officers. (f) Inter-jurisdictional Pursuits. (1) The primary unit shall notify communications when it is likely that a pursuit
will continue into a neighboring police agency’s area of law enforcement
responsibility or cross the state line.
Municipal police agencies and the State Police shall notify each other
whenever entering the other’s area of law enforcement responsibility. (2) A pursuit into a bordering state shall
comply with the laws of both states and any applicable inter-agency agreements. (3) In all cases where a pursuit enters an area of law
enforcement responsibility of a police agency other than that of the
initiating police agency, the police agency in pursuit shall be responsible
for immediately notifying the police agency responsible for such area. The desk officer or duty supervisor for
the police agency responsible for such area shall determine if assistance is
necessary and police officers from agencies other than the initiating agency
shall not join the outside pursuit unless: (A) Directed
by such duty supervisor or desk officer; or (B) The
involved pursuit unit is unable to request assistance; or (C) The situation demands
immediate assistance. The supervisors of the
respective police agencies involved in the pursuit shall communicate with
each other to determine the respective responsibilities of each police agency
and to determine which police agency will assume primary operational control
of the pursuit. The supervisors shall
also communicate with each other regarding any external conditions pertinent
to the continued conduct of the pursuit.
Communications between police agencies shall be controlled by
inter-agency police radio systems, if they exist, or by telephone, if they do
not. (4) In all cases where the pursuit enters a
municipality without a regularly organized police department, notification
shall be made to the State Police troop responsible for that area. Such troop
shall maintain radio communications with all local police officers serving in
any such municipality. (g) After-pursuit Reporting. (1) Whenever a police officer engages in a
pursuit, the police officer shall file a written report on the appropriate
form required by his or her agency describing the circumstances. This report shall be reviewed by the
appropriate supervisor or supervisors to determine if policy has been
complied with and to detect and correct any training deficiencies. (2) Each police agency shall periodically
analyze its police pursuit activity and identify any additions, deletions or
modifications warranted in agency
pursuit procedures. (h) Training. Police officers who drive
police vehicles shall be given initial and periodic update training in the
agency's pursuit policy and in safe driving tactics. The provisions of Sections 14-283a-1 to
14-283a-4, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies shall
be a part of the curriculum for all police basic recruit-training and
re-certification programs in Connecticut. Statement of Purpose: To
adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of Public Act 99-171. |
Effective August 24, 2000