Posted: 4/19/2009 7:28:18 PM EDT
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Due to the increasing amount of restricted or no chase policies, many of us Rookies obviously don't have very much experience in vehicle pursuits. Can some of ya'll old timers give out some advice/lessons learned from your experiences? I got very good training and am very thankful when the SHTF.
I was just recently in my very first "real" chase (100% authorized and called on the radio as a chase). Some of the lessons I learned on the fly, very scary during high speeds. Don't follow directly behind the car in front of you, can't see what's ahead. My computer mount came loose and swung right into my shifter and bumped it into "neutral". Very bad thing when you are making a tight U-turn and 2 other cars are behind you. Watch out for the spikes. The radio tells you where they are, but it can still be tricky. Luckily, my car did not get spiked (several other cars did). |
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Quoted:
Due to the increasing amount of restricted or no chase policies, many of us Rookies obviously don't have very much experience in vehicle pursuits. Can some of ya'll old timers give out some advice/lessons learned from your experiences? I got very good training and am very thankful when the SHTF. Drive with your Brains, NOT your balls... Know when to say "Enough is Enough" and call the pursuit. Doesnt mean you're a pussy..too many younihn get that "im gonna get this Sumbitch" mindset, and take things WAY past the point where the result justifies the risk, then they end up as GD Rants. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Due to the increasing amount of restricted or no chase policies, many of us Rookies obviously don't have very much experience in vehicle pursuits. Can some of ya'll old timers give out some advice/lessons learned from your experiences? I got very good training and am very thankful when the SHTF. Drive with your Brains, NOT your balls... Know when to say "Enough is Enough" and call the pursuit. Doesnt mean you're a pussy..too many younihn get that "im gonna get this Sumbitch" mindset, and take things WAY past the point where the result justifies the risk, then they end up as GD Rants. I'm definitely no old timer, but I learned very very young to learn from the mistakes of others. This was going to be my advice. Know your limits. If the bad guy is a better (or crazier) driver than you are, know when to pull the plug. In very very few circumstances would the reward justify the outcome. Something they drilled into my head during evoc don't have to CATCH them, you just need to keep them in sight/keep up with them. Which at first thought sounds stupid, but when you stop and think it's the truth. Give yourself plenty of room, you only have to be able to see them. (Obviously, this is within reason) |
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Never, ever, ever, fuckin' ever, bum rush a car after it has stopped. That shit is amateur hour/clown shoes crap and can/has resulted in us piggies getting hurt.
Bad Guy stops=Felony stop. Bad guys stops, then takes off and there are other occupants in the car, stay with the car, cover the occupants and direct other units on location and or direction of driver. When in pursuit, radio discipline is a must. Location, direction, speed, traffic and road surface conditions are what you need to talk about on the air. You also need to report any furitive movements, dumping of dope, weapons sightings, etc.... DO NOT GIVE A DAMN THESIS DURING THE CHASE!!!!!! Know when to call it off. No shame in that what so ever. If you feel over you head, noone should bag on you for it if you experience level doesnt support continuing the pursuit. Breathe, deeply and slowly during the chase. Look into Tactical Breathing. This will slow your heart rate and calm you. That's about it from me. Good luck and stay safe. |
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Quoted:
Never, ever, ever, fuckin' ever, bum rush a car after it has stopped. That shit is amateur hour/clown shoes crap and can/has resulted in us piggies getting hurt. Bad Guy stops=Felony stop. Bad guys stops, then takes off and there are other occupants in the car, stay with the car, cover the occupants and direct other units on location and or direction of driver. When in pursuit, radio discipline is a must. Location, direction, speed, traffic and road surface conditions are what you need to talk about on the air. You also need to report any furitive movements, dumping of dope, weapons sightings, etc.... DO NOT GIVE A DAMN THESIS DURING THE CHASE!!!!!! Know when to call it off. No shame in that what so ever. If you feel over you head, noone should bag on you for it if you experience level doesnt support continuing the pursuit. Breathe, deeply and slowly during the chase. Look into Tactical Breathing. This will slow your heart rate and calm you. That's about it from me. Good luck and stay safe. Excellent points. |
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Never, ever, ever, fuckin' ever, bum rush a car after it has stopped. That shit is amateur hour/clown shoes crap and can/has resulted in us piggies getting hurt. Bad Guy stops=Felony stop. Bad guys stops, then takes off and there are other occupants in the car, stay with the car, cover the occupants and direct other units on location and or direction of driver. When in pursuit, radio discipline is a must. Location, direction, speed, traffic and road surface conditions are what you need to talk about on the air. You also need to report any furitive movements, dumping of dope, weapons sightings, etc.... DO NOT GIVE A DAMN THESIS DURING THE CHASE!!!!!! Know when to call it off. No shame in that what so ever. If you feel over you head, noone should bag on you for it if you experience level doesnt support continuing the pursuit. Breathe, deeply and slowly during the chase. Look into Tactical Breathing. This will slow your heart rate and calm you. That's about it from me. Good luck and stay safe. Good points. Although at my agency we go after the driver. Circumstances dictate obviously but usually the driver is the one you have the majority of charges on. |
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drive at 80% of your true ability, that way when it goes real bad during a chase (or high speed responses to calls) you have another 20% to draw from. Kinda sounds stupid but it works.
I hate chases, they too often than not end up bad, but are a nessecary evil. J- |
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Get a good tag number asap, if the vehicle and driver are "Frequent Flyers" pull out and get a warrant.
Dont get too focused on watching the car your chasing, keep your head on a swivel and watch for other cars, intersections, street signs, other squad cars, and pedestrians. WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!!!!! Dont scream over the radio, if you find yourself too excited and yelling, hold the mic a few extra inches away from your face. If you have an MDC, close it and get it out of your way. Give good play by play to dispatch, better yet let the #2 car give play by play, if your #2 call the chase and let #1 worry about surroundings and spacing. |
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My first pursuit I actually had to call it off. It was hard to do, being young and full of adrenaline is a wonderful thing at times, other times not so much. The driver was wanted on a federal warant and was driving like a crazy bastard. I like to think that I am a pretty skilled driver but he was taking risks at 120 that I wasnt willing to take especially when we caught up to traffic.
He ended up being caught about a half hour later after 4 seperate pursuits that finally led to his tires being spiked. |
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I am by no means an old timer but, I had a chase that spanned 3 jurisdictions. It was 2 state troopers and I chasing 2 car jackers running down interstate at 120mph then racing around on surface streets.
1. You don't have to be up on their ass. Get plenty of stopping space but keep them in your sight. This is also good if say, a state trooper loses control in front of you. I'm just saying..... 2. If you would like your chase to continue, do not scream like a girl on the radio. 3. Be patient and don't take unnecessary risks because if you are patient enough, the bad guy will wreck and you will be there to get him when he does. 4. Don't forget to look at some street signs and call them out as you are rolling. 5. Make sure you have plenty of gas at the beginning of your shift. V8's eat some fuel at 120mph. 6. +1 on the seat belt. 7. A 05 Nissan Altima can't hang with an 08 Crown Vic  .
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Drive 80% of your max...give yourself a 20% cushion.
1. High visual horizon. 2. High entry to turns, low apex, high exit. 3. Straight line braking before the turn, coast through the apex, smooth acceleration out. Don't be afraid to threshold brake. Never enter turns at maximum... efficient driving wins over speed every time. Remember, most runners (including "sports car" kids) can't drive worth a crap, so don't follow their lines. 4. 3-4 second space cushion 5. Clear those intersections 6. Drive within policy. 7. Transmit updates in straightaways... never in a turn 8. Call out approaching intersections, not the ones you have passed. Combat breathing helps but is not always possible using the radio. The adrenaline dump is inevitable, minimizing it's effects any way you can will help you avoid tunnel vision and "panic radio." We only have to come in second. 
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Good advice so far.
Let me add in tunnel vision. Do not stare at the back of the suspects car. Especially if you are in an urban area and blowing through intersections. Being good in a chase comes only with experience. Every chase is different and you need to be able to adapt to the changing dynamics. Debrief your chases, watch your dash video, watch other guys dash videos. When watching chases on "COPS" or some other TV show, critique them in your head and think about what you would do and what you can do next time to be safer. Good luck, and congratulations on your first chase, burn a copy of it for your "Greatest Hits" collection, you'll appreciate it one day. |
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Good info above for you to keep in mind. My personal opinion is to chase em all, pit em all!!! Thankfully our policy allows us to do that almost everytime.
If you don't want to get wrecked by the police, then don't run!!! God help you if you do run though... Not an option where I am..AT ALL our AG guidelines are really strict and they WILL hang an officer out to dry. UBless the fucker has MY wallet in his hand im not chasing him for anythign short of a Homicide. |
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- ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT (if you think it will slow you down from a rapid exit, then practice releasing the seat belt & exiting your vehicle as often as possible) - Take a deep breath before speaking on the radio. It will allow you to speak semi-normal. - Back off of the suspect vehicle; as others have stated, just keep your flashing lights in the suspect's rear-view mirrors, and he will start to panic the longer the pursuit goes. - DO NOT STARE AT THE BUMPER OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU. No matter if it is another police vehicle or the suspect's vehicle; if that car makes a mistake, you will make the same mistake. This is how suspects OWN YOU, if you stare at their rear bumper. LOOK THROUGH AND/OR PAST the car in front of you at the road ahead; you are responsible for traffic conditions & reporting them; a side benefit is that you will usually be able to see the suspect's actions as well. If you have to look at a part of the car in front of you, watch the front wheels; they will tell you where that vehicle is going, and will help you look at the road ahead. Remember, the whole point of a pursuit is NOT to crawl up the suspect's tailpipe, jump inside, & choke him/her out; rather, be patient, and make the suspect see your flashing lights in his/her rear view mirrors for as long as possible...this will continue to raise their stress level, especially if they are trying hard to lose/shake you, and hopefully help in bringing the pursuit to a successful termination. If you are the unit responsible for radio traffic (typically should be #2 unit in pursuit if same jurisdiction) report everything relevant in a calm voice, so that the rest of the "Cavalry" can position themselves to help (spike strips, shutting down intersections, forming rolling perimeters, gaining time for helicopter support & K-9 units to assist, and so on...). Also, if the suspect starts making right turn after right turn, almost like he/she is going in a large circle, they are most likely looking for a place to bail out & run....when suspects are ready to go to ground, they have a tendency to keep making right turns, one after the other after the other...I've noticed it in a few pursuits, kinda strange...but sure enough, they slowed & bailed out. Lastly, avoid pursuits if at all possible; I've seen lots of bad things happen from them, and I don't blame my department & all the others that have severely restricted them (we can only pursue violent felony offenders....no stolens, no property crimes, no traffic warrants, etc...). More often than not I've seen innocent members of the public be seriously hurt or even killed as a result. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Never, ever, ever, fuckin' ever, bum rush a car after it has stopped. That shit is amateur hour/clown shoes crap and can/has resulted in us piggies getting hurt. Bad Guy stops=Felony stop. Bad guys stops, then takes off and there are other occupants in the car, stay with the car, cover the occupants and direct other units on location and or direction of driver. When in pursuit, radio discipline is a must. Location, direction, speed, traffic and road surface conditions are what you need to talk about on the air. You also need to report any furitive movements, dumping of dope, weapons sightings, etc.... DO NOT GIVE A DAMN THESIS DURING THE CHASE!!!!!! Know when to call it off. No shame in that what so ever. If you feel over you head, noone should bag on you for it if you experience level doesnt support continuing the pursuit. Breathe, deeply and slowly during the chase. Look into Tactical Breathing. This will slow your heart rate and calm you. That's about it from me. Good luck and stay safe. Good points. Although at my agency we go after the driver. Circumstances dictate obviously but usually the driver is the one you have the majority of charges on. Roger. I advocate staying with the occupied vehicle so as not to have potential Bg's at my 6, and to eliminate thier access to my vehicle and weapons. Do what you are directed to do. I suppose if the driver was accused of something serious enough, I would go after him. Hopefully follow on cars would secure my sled. Always up for mew ideas though. |
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Drive 80% of your max...give yourself a 20% cushion. 1. High visual horizon. 2. High entry to turns, low apex, high exit. 3. Straight line braking before the turn, coast through the apex, smooth acceleration out. Don't be afraid to threshold brake. Never enter turns at maximum... efficient driving wins over speed every time. Remember, most runners (including "sports car" kids) can't drive worth a crap, so don't follow their lines. 4. 3-4 second space cushion 5. Clear those intersections 6. Drive within policy. 7. Transmit updates in straightaways... never in a turn 8. Call out approaching intersections, not the ones you have passed. Combat breathing helps but is not always possible using the radio. The adrenaline dump is inevitable, minimizing it's effects any way you can will help you avoid tunnel vision and "panic radio." We only have to come in second.
Fantastic points. Especially about braking. I mentioned the breathing I guess, to point out that one should control it. breathing slowly and deeply when possible will also help, and can prevent or mitigate panic voice. |