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N.J. UNVEILS NEW GUIDELINES FOR POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS

NCJ Number
141916
Journal
Criminal Justice Digest Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1993) Pages: 1-9
Author(s)
Anonymous
Date Published
1993
Length
9 pages
Annotation
In January 1993, New Jersey's attorney general announced a sweeping revision of the State's policy governing the circumstances and conditions under which police officers may engage in vehicular pursuits.
Abstract
The revised guidelines place more effective controls on police pursuits than those in place since 1985. Expected to reduce the number of police vehicular pursuits in New Jersey, the guidelines specify that police officers may only pursue a motor vehicle when they reasonably believe the violator has committed an offense of the first or second degree or when they reasonably believe the violator poses an immediate threat to public safety or police officers. The guidelines also establish clear lines of police accountability; every police pursuit must be reported to the communication dispatcher and a supervising officer must decide whether to permit the pursuit to continue. The guidelines call for all law enforcement agencies to establish procedures for the formal review of pursuit incident reports and require that pursuit incidents be reviewed for compliance with applicable policy and department operating procedures. In addition, police officers are required to attend inservice training in vehicular pursuit policy and decisionmaking twice yearly. The text of New Jersey Police's vehicular pursuit policy is included. An appendix lists offenses in addition to those of the first or second degree for which vehicular pursuit may be authorized.