Police policies that shape officers' decisions to carry out a hot pursuit are identified, as is prior empirical research on police pursuit. A study of 323 pursuits is presented, with an examination of statistics describing the population of pursuits and reporting on a multivariable analysis of the pursuits to determine the relationships between the pursuit outcomes and characteristics of pursuing officers and pursuit situations. The study indicates that 73 percent of the pursuits lasted five minutes or less, that 54 percent were initiated for traffic violations, and that 28 percent were felony stops or initiated because it was suspected that an offender was a felon. Two hundred and thirty-six (73 percent) of the pursuits ended in arrests, while three ended in the defendant's death. In 26 percent of the pursuits studied, the defendant successfully escaped from the officer. In 23 of the chases, a police officer was injured, and in five chases a bystander was injured. Accidents resulted in 34 percent of the pursuits. The study concludes that because pursuit is a potentially dangerous police tactic, careful planning of pursuit policy, training, supervision, and accountability should be undertaken by police departments. 38 footnotes.