To Chase or Not to Chase?

An officer detains an active parolee gang member for questioning and during the detention the suspect suddenly runs. The officer chases the suspect for two blocks, observes the suspect to be grabbing into his shorts pocket. The suspect yells out to the officer that he is armed and will shoot the officer. The officer tackles the suspect, there is a violent struggle for the weapon and the officer shoots and kills the suspect. An officer attempts to affect an enforcement stop on a motorist for a hit and run accident. The driver fails to yield and stop at the first available opportunity, drives to a park and then suddenly foot bails into the park. The lone officer chases after the suspect into the park where the officer is subsequently ambushed, shot and killed. The situations described above are similar circumstances each resulting in opposite tragic and deadly consequences. Why does this continue to happen?

Foot pursuits by their very nature are highly emotionally charged and dangerous events that occur frequently in police work. So far this year 50 officers have been killed by gunfire – a 32% increase from the same time last year – and at least 19 of those officers or 38% were victims of  ambush or surprise attacks according to the most recent statistics gathered by the FBI. The significant increase in officer deaths by gunfire is a disturbing trend that has steadily risen since 1994 when only 10% of officers killed were as a result of ambush attacks. More often than not, officers become emotionally captured in a pursuit event and have an instinctive reaction, rather than a studied and planned response to resistance and chase without considering the inevitability of suspect capture. In other words, they chase the suspect until the suspect catches them.

Officers should remind themselves that what they often do not know about the people they are chasing and the environment the foot pursuit takes place can seriously hurt or kill the officer.

 What officers may not know about the suspect they are chasing include: 

• What if anything they may be wanted for;
• If they are armed;
• What the suspect's martial arts or fighting skills are;
• If the suspect is in better physical shape than the officer is;
• If the suspect is psychotic;
• If the suspect is under the influence of drugs - such as powerful stimulants, or PCP;
• Where the suspect may be taking the officer to - such as an area of ambush;
• If there are other suspects the officer is not aware of who can aid the suspect.

Officers need to remember that at the same time that they are catching up to the suspect, they are also reducing the "reactionary gap" between themselves and the suspect. Reactionary gap is the distance between the officer and suspect, compared to the officer’s ability to defensively react to something the suspect might do to them. Shorten the distance and the officer shortens his/her reaction time. This is almost always dangerous for the officer.

The public sees so many foot pursuits on live television that they, and unfortunately the officers themselves, fail to realize just how inherently dangerous these foot pursuits really are. The situation for the officer and suspect can literally and irrevocably change in the blink of an eye and can have fatal consequences for each.

In reviewing circumstances similar to the incident involving a Riverside police officer who was murdered following a foot pursuit on the evening of November 7, 2010, 2006 FBI statistics on officers killed in the line of duty indicate that 38% of all officers killed in the U.S. occurred during a crime in progress where the officer was affecting an arrest and that 60% of all officers killed under such circumstances were acting alone. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of those officers were killed at night. Seventy percent (70%) of officers are killed by handguns from distances of fifteen feet or less and suspects are able to hit an officer target 68% of the time compared to officers striking the suspect only 14% of the time. Other statistics show that in a physical confrontation with a suspect, the officer ends up on the ground 86% of the time where 25% are seriously injured and 12% are killed with their own weapons such as handguns and batons when the suspect is somehow able to disarm the officer. These are certainly not favorable survival statistics for the officer.

Psychophysiologically, a pursuing officer immediately may fall victim to their body’s own survival mechanisms during the chase.  While running, an officer’s brain involuntarily “dumps” powerful internal chemical stimulants such as adrenalin and epinephrine; and pain-blockers such as endorphins and euphoric dopamine into their body. While the stimulants can make an officer stronger, they also create visual distortions such as perceptual narrowing (tunnel vision) and the loss of near vision (inability of seeing the front sights of a handgun). As the body automatically pools blood and fluids towards its core to prevent blood loss in the event of traumatic injury; officers also lose control of their fine and complex motor skills (ability to manipulate and grasp objects such as OC, ECWs and batons); and most experience a diminished or a complete loss of hearing. Worse case scenarios I have personally investigated have found officers to reach a state of complete “hypervigilance” upon encountering their suspects, where the pursuing officer becomes confused, panics, freezes, or have resorted to extreme and unnecessary uses of force.  All of these symptoms can prove deadly to the officer or the fleeing suspect.

So what should the officer do when a suspect runs from them? Here are a few officer safety enhancing tips:

• Do not wait! Get on the radio immediately and call for assistance;
• Put out a good description of the suspect and their direction of travel;
• SLOW DOWN and carry on a moving surveillance of the fleeing suspect from a distance that allows for a lot of reactionary gap time;
• If you lose sight of the suspect, stop, find cover/concealment, arm yourself and set up a perimeter while waiting for back-up;
• Check in with yourself and get back into forebrain cognitive processing. Get centered; reduce your breathing and heart rate. Work on getting out of tunnel vision and diminished hearing. Make a plan or review your plan and then engage it;
• Let the suspect tire out from running; let them experience the reduced vision and hearing instead of you;
• Call for a K-9 unit and or a helicopter if available to search for the suspect;
• Remember that it is usually not a matter of if you will catch the suspect; just when you will catch them.

Suspects most usually go to ground and hide soon after an officer loses sight of them. Setting up a perimeter and using a K-9 and air support to find the suspect has historically proven to be the most successful method of capture.

While an officer’s desire to protect the public and affect the arrest of a fleeing suspect is a selfless and courageous act, there is rarely a good reason for an officer to get injured or killed during a foot pursuit. Officers killed in the line of duty during foot pursuits should be a constant reminder to the public that police officers introduce themselves into dangerous situations on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this risk has become an all too frequent occurrence in our industry.

If officers can just remember a few of these important tips, they will make it home safe and alive.

 Stay Safe Out There!

About the Author

Dr. Ron Martinelli is a former police officer and detective with over 22 years of street experience primarily with the San Jose Police Department. Dr. Martinelli is a former director of a POST police academy, and a multi-certified use of force instructor who also is a CSI forensic criminologist and police practices expert specializing in officer-involved shootings and major uses of force. He is NCCM Board Certified in Forensic Trauma, a Diplomat with the Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, a Certified Force Analyst with the Force Science Center and a recognized member of the American College of Forensic Experts Institute. Dr. Martinelli is nationally recognized for his research on the subject of psychophysiology and stress-induced responses. Subscribe to his law enforcement/forensics site at www.DrRonmartinelli.com.