WHEREAS, operating a law enforcement vehicle in a pursuit situation exposes the public, the violator and the officer to a far greater danger than other law enforcement actions; and

WHEREAS, a pursuit is defined as “an event that is initiated when a law enforcement officer, operating an authorized emergency vehicle, gives notice to stop (either through the use of visual or audible emergency signals or a combination of emergency devices) to a motorist whom the officer is attempting to apprehend, and that motorist fails to comply with the signal by either maintaining his/her speed, increasing speed or taking other evasive action to elude the officer’s continued attempts to stop the motorist,” and

WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation more than 1,700 fatalities occurred as a result of law enforcement vehicular pursuits over the past five years; and

WHEREAS, the deaths and injuries of officers resulting from vehicle collisions now outnumber those that result from armed confrontations; and

WHEREAS, despite the risks, the nature of law enforcement work often requires officers to engage in pursuits in order to effectively enforce the law; and

WHEREAS, there is nothing glamorous or desirable about being involved in a vehicular pursuit in which officers must view pursuits for what they are, potentially life threatening situations, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the IACP opposes the use of televised live and recorded law enforcement vehicular pursuits to the public; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP opposes law enforcement officers and agencies from supplying audio or video recordings of law enforcement vehicular pursuits for the purpose of being televised to the public.