Department Guidelines
Section 4 | Department Guidelines
4.1 Pursuit/PIT Regulations: In order to maintain the public safety and ensure we keep criminals behind bars Troopers patrolling may have to conduct a vehicle pursuit with a suspect. Department members are expected to use their resources to be effective in stopping suspects in a event of a pursuit, remember it's always better to let the suspect go then potentially creating a high speed crash with other citizens involved. NTF members should always be given primary in the event of a pursuit, the you should not take over the primary officer unless there is valid reason or they allow you to. A pursuit should be coordinated with other officers to ensure the most efficient outcome. Troopers are allowed multiple options to assist in ending the pursuit, these techniques are listed below.
Roadblock: Roadblocks are made of law enforcement barricades and are used to stop the oncoming suspect by leading them directly into the barricades, this option is not recommended and should only be used through smooth communication and the suspect should be at low speeds and pose a dangerous threat.
Spikes: Troopers may commonly use spikes in order to deflate the tires of the fleeing suspect, this can be done via stop sticks or road spikes. This should be coordinated throughout the radio and the spiker should set up ahead of the pursuit and communicate with Troopers so they all are aware of oncoming spikes. The spikes should also be placed right before the suspect appears so other citizens aren't hit by the spikes & it would become a surprise for the suspect. Spikes are especially useful on bridges or other similar roads where the suspect cannot easily dodge the spikes. You are required to ask for Supervisor Permission to use Spike Strips unless you are Nighthawks Task Force Personnel.
"Boxing in": Troopers may use technique called "boxing in" while attempting to end the pursuit. Boxing in is done with multiple officers involved and should be done at low speeds, this is normally done if the suspect has crashed into another object in which the officers pursuing would box the vehicle in with their patrol vehicles.
Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT Maneuver): The "PIT Maneuver" is a technique used by skilled Troopers to use their patrol vehicle to physically force the fleeing vehicle to stop. This is done at semi-low to medium speeds depending on the situation, where the Trooper using the maneuver would slam their front of their vehicle into the back-side of the fleeing vehicle. (Probably the front tire of the patrol vehicle to near the back tire of the fleeing vehicle.) This will most likely cause the suspect's vehicle to swerve out, this is a dangerous maneuver and should only be used depending on the situation. Please note that the PIT maneuver should be used on the discretion that other methods have been tried. When determine if the PIT maneuver should be used, the following should be accounted for.
Condition of the road:
Wet or dry
Roadside obstructions (trees, ditches, buildings, etc.)
Visibility:
Distance ahead
Darkness
Other weather conditions
Traffic volume:
Amount of traffic predicted depending on time of day (School hours, work rush, etc)
Actual amount of traffic observed
Location of pursuit (Near high populated area, school zone, etc)
Vehicle Type:
Pickup truck (high center of gravity, narrow wheel base)
Small car (narrow wheel base, small tires)
Van (high center of gravity, narrow wheel base)
Occupants of Vehicle:
Number of people in the vehicle
Children are visible in the vehicle
Reasonable speed as determined by the following factors:
Whether the violator is showing total disregard for public safety
Whether the violator is slowing but not stopping for stop signs or other traffic control devices
Whether the violator is darting at other vehicles
Whether the violator is driving on the wrong side of the road
Whether the violator is running other motorists off the road
Terminating the Pursuit: Troopers may commonly have to terminate a pursuit on a variety of reasons. This can be the suspect driving at high speeds, driving within a populated area, driving within an unsafe area (School zone, construction zone, etc), unable to stop the pursuit, and more. Terminating the pursuit should always be a last resort option after other options have been tried. The termination of a pursuit should be documented in the in-game radio to let other officers know with a description of the vehicle and the last known location. This is for officers to potentially find the suspect later.
4.2 Use of Force: Troopers must always keep in the mind the use of force authorized in order to efficiently protect and serve the community they are responsible for. Troopers are never allowed to use more force then they are allowed to based on the situation, and can lead to major consequences. Below will be a list of the use of force levels authorized to Troopers.
Deadly Force authorizes the use of deadly weaponry available to Troopers, this is if the Trooper or other Troopers/citizens life are endanger by the suspect.
Defensive tactics allow the use of non-lethal weapons such as tasers or pepper spray, additionally the Trooper may use their hand to hand combat skills to de-escalate the situation. This is when the suspect may be getting rowdy and potentially attempt to physically attack someone.
Compliance techniques include minor threats with non-lethals such as tasers or pepper spray, the Trooper may also attempt to hold or grab the suspect to stop potential attacks. At this level the Trooper should de-escalate from any potential injures occuring.
Contact controls should be strictly verbal by the Trooper in attempt to de-escalate the situation from anything physical.
Cooperative controls should just be polite small talk and other means to smoothly handle the situation.
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