Today we will be talking about Police Vehicle Pursuits. Police pursuits have been the subject of controversy for many years because they often end with crashes that result in serious injury or death to those involved, and frequently innocent motorists and pedestrians not involved in the chase. The US Department of Transportation’s Center for Statistics and Analysis reports that pursuits ending in death increased 41% from 2001 to 2021 – 36% of the deaths were innocent bystanders.

Many cities across the country have seen increases in both violent crime and traffic injuries and deaths following the pandemic. In response, some police agencies have relaxed their vehicle pursuit policies resulting in an increase in pursuits. In Milwaukee for example, policy changes in 2015 and 2017 contributed to pursuits increasing from 414 in 2017 to 1083 in 2018 – injuries tripled. In 2021, the California Highway Patrol reported 12,500 pursuits with 20% resulting in a crash and 7% in a fatality or injury. Pursuits increased by 7% in 2021 over 2020. Twenty-seven percent of the deaths and 31% of the injuries were innocent bystanders.

The Police Executive Research Forum recently released a new report funded by the US Department of Justice that provides guidelines for police agencies. The Chair of the Pursuit Working Group for the report is Professor Geoff Alpert from the University of South Carolina Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. We are very fortunate to have him with us today.

He is an internationally known and respected researcher who has made enormous contributions to improving policing through his research, teaching, consulting, and writing over his 50+ year career. He has published 26 books and monographs and authored or co-authored 120 articles and book chapters. He has written 3 books on police vehicle pursuits. His research covers a wide range of subjects, including the use of force, reducing officer-involved collisions, and discretion.