The 2 A.M. Pursuit Decision
At 02:05 you are working alone in a marked unit. You see a sedan run a red light at 45 mph in a 35 mph zone; its license plate lamp is out and the plate is partially obscured. When you activate your emergency lights, the car accelerates to 70 mph, runs two more red lights, and continues on a four-lane arterial. There is almost no traffic, but the road passes a 24-hour grocery and two apartment complexes. Your supervisor is handling a separate call and does not answer the radio. You are 18 months into patrol. The driver has committed no known violent felony; you have not yet run the plate. Your agency policy restricts pursuits and requires a supervisor’s approval when practicable.
1. Should you continue the pursuit? Identify the factors that drive the decision.
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The starting point is not “he fled, so we chase.” Colorado pursuit restrictions and your agency policy require weighing the seriousness of the underlying offense against the danger created by the pursuit. Here the known offense is a traffic violation plus eluding; there is no known violent felony, no known hostage, and no immediate threat to the public from the driver’s continued travel. Speeds are 70 mph on an arterial near apartments and a 24-hour store, and you are alone with no supervisor available. The risk of a crash outweighs the benefit of immediate capture. The correct decision is to terminate: slow down, turn off lights and siren, acknowledge termination on radio, and broadcast the direction of travel and description. Do not continue at a reduced speed in a way that is still a pursuit.
2. What should you broadcast and do after terminating?
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Broadcast a clear termination: “Pursuit terminated, 2:07 a.m., eastbound on [street] from [cross street], silver sedan, partial plate.” Give the plate characters you have, the driver description if known, and the last known direction. Ask dispatch to run the plate and check for a registered owner address; that may support a later arrest or follow-up without a chase. Do not follow at a distance to “keep eyes on” if that recreates the pursuit. Complete a pursuit report even though you terminated, because the decision and the driving behavior must be documented. Later, consider a warrant or citation based on the observed violations and any camera evidence. The goal is to explain the termination as a reasoned public-safety choice, not as a failure to act.
3. A peer tells you, “Everyone pursues; terminating makes you look weak.” How do you respond in a way that holds up on review?
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Culture is not a legal justification. The review question will be whether a reasonable officer, knowing the offense and the risk, would continue. You can say: “The offense was a traffic violation and eluding; speeds were 70 near apartments; I was alone; I had no supervisor; policy favors termination.” That is a defensible articulation. If the peer pressures you, document the conversation or report it through the chain of command if it becomes intimidation. Do not let a passenger or a peer override your risk assessment. A terminated pursuit that later results in a warrant arrest is a better outcome than a crash that injures a bystander.