Police Vehicle Pursuits 2012-2013, USDOJ Bureau of Jus Statistics 2017

• May 1, 2017 • Locations: United States of America • Topics: Vehicle Searches, Police

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U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

MAY 2017

Special Report

NCJ 250545

Police Vehicle Pursuits, 2012-2013
Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D., BJS Statistician

n 2012, general purpose state and local law enforcement
agencies conducted an estimated 68,000 vehicle pursuits
(figure 1). Local police departments conducted most
of these pursuits (about 40,000) followed by sheriffs’ offices
(about 18,000) and state police and highway patrol agencies
(about 10,000). During the year, 351 persons died as a result
of pursuit-related crashes (not shown).
Pursuit counts are based on the 2013 Law Enforcement
Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS)
survey sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
The survey included a nationally representative sample
of general purpose state and local law enforcement
agencies. Such agencies employed 92% of all full-time
state and local law enforcement officers. The LEMAS
survey excludes federal agencies and special jurisdiction
agencies, such as campus police and park police. Data on
pursuit-related fatalities are from the Fatality Analysis
Reporting System (FARS), maintained by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
U.S. Department of Transportation.

Figure 1
Vehicle pursuits conducted by general purpose state and
local law enforcement agencies, 2012
Type of agency
Local police
departments

Sheriffs’ offices

State police/
highway patrol
agencies
0

10,000

20,000
30,000
Number

40,000

50,000

Note: See appendix table 12 for estimates and standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

HIGHLIGHTS

General purpose state and local law enforcement agencies
conducted an estimated 68,000 vehicle pursuits in 2012.

From 1996 to 2015, an average of 355 persons (about
1 per day) were killed annually in pursuit-related crashes.

Most agencies had vehicle pursuit policies that used
specific criteria (e.g., speed, type of offense, or surrounding
conditions) to define when a pursuit was permissible.

In 2012, local police conducted 8 vehicle pursuits per
100 officers employed and sheriffs’ offices conducted
9 per 100 officers.

An estimated 2% of local police departments and 1% of
sheriffs’ offices prohibited vehicle pursuits. No state police
or highway patrol agencies prohibited pursuits.

As of January 2013, all state police and highway patrol
agencies and nearly all local police departments (97%) and
sheriffs’ offices (96%) had a written vehicle pursuit policy.

During 2012, the rate of vehicle pursuits was highest among
agencies with a policy that left pursuit decisions to an
officer’s discretion (17 pursuits per 100 officers employed).

From 1997 to 2013, the percentage of sworn personnel
working in agencies that left pursuit decisions to an officer’s
discretion decreased from 17% to 11%.

In jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents, 4% of the
local police departments and 10% of the sheriffs’ offices did
not have a written pursuit policy.

This report examines the types of written pursuit-related
policies maintained by law enforcement agencies, and analyzes
how the prevalence of police vehicle pursuits varies by type
of pursuit policy. The report presents supplemental data on
the characteristics of police vehicle pursuits that occurred in
selected law enforcement agencies. These supplemental data
are from the Pursuits database initiated by the International
Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and currently
maintained by LogIn, Inc. (See textbox on page 7.) Although
this report focuses exclusively on vehicle pursuits, the LEMAS
survey collected some data on agency policies related to foot
pursuits. This information is presented in appendix tables 3
through 7.
The Police Policy Studies Council, a research-based law
enforcement training and consultation corporation, defines a
motor vehicle pursuit as “The act of attempting apprehension
of a fleeing vehicle, once the operator has given some
indication of his or her intent not to stop or yield. This
indication can be by increasing speed, bypassing traffic
control devices, or other means.”
All state law enforcement agencies and most local
agencies serving 10,000 or more residents conducted
vehicle pursuits during 2012
All state police and highway patrol agencies conducted
vehicle pursuits in 2012 (table 1). Among local police
departments, all of those serving 250,000 or more residents
and nearly all (95%) of those serving 50,000 to 249,999
residents conducted vehicle pursuits. In comparison, fewer
than half (47%) of local police departments serving fewer
than 10,000 residents conducted vehicle pursuits.
TABLE 1
General purpose state and local law enforcement agencies
that conducted vehicle pursuits, 2012
Type of agency and
population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer*
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer*
State police/highway patrol agencies

Total number
of agencies
12,326
104
224
446
871
1,986
8,695
3,012
211
287
416
618
853
628
49

Percent that
conducted
pursuits
57%
100 †
95 †
96 †
86 †
75 †
47
70%
88 †
88 †
80 †
80 †
71 †
43
100%

Among sheriffs’ offices, about 9 in 10 agencies serving
100,000 or more residents, 8 in 10 agencies serving
25,000 to 99,999 residents, and 7 in 10 agencies serving
10,000 to 24,999 residents conducted vehicle pursuits
in 2012. As was the case with smaller local police
departments, fewer than half (43%) of sheriffs’ offices
serving fewer than 10,000 residents conducted vehicle
pursuits in 2012.
About a quarter of local police pursuits occurred in
departments serving fewer than 10,000 residents
On average, state police and highway patrol agencies
conducted more than 200 vehicle pursuits each during 2012
(table 2). Local police departments serving 250,000 or more
residents conducted an average of 72 vehicle pursuits each.
Collectively, these larger local police agencies conducted
more than 7,000 pursuits, or about a sixth (18%) of all
vehicle pursuits conducted by local police nationwide
(not shown).
Local police departments that served fewer than
10,000 residents and had vehicle pursuits during 2012
conducted an average of three pursuits each. The collective
number of pursuits conducted by these small departments
was nearly 11,000, or about a quarter (27%) of all local
police vehicle pursuits.
TABLE 2
Number of vehicle pursuits conducted by general purpose
state and local law enforcement agencies, 2012
Type of agency and
population served
Number of pursuits
Local police departments
40,491
250,000 or more
7,459
100,000–249,999
5,332
50,000–99,999
5,270
25,000–49,999
4,742
10,000–24,999
6,927
9,999 or fewer*
10,760
Sheriffs' offices
17,591
250,000 or more
6,287
100,000–249,999
2,811
50,000–99,999
2,716
25,000–49,999
2,458
10,000–24,999
2,552
9,999 or fewer*
767
State police/highway patrol agencies
9,939

Average number
of pursuits per
agencya
6
72 †
25 †
12 †
6†
5†
3
8
34 †
11 †
8†
5‡
4†
3
203

Note: See appendix table 14 for standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
‡Significant difference from comparison group at 90% confidence level.
aExcludes agencies that did not conduct any pursuits.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

Note: See appendix table 13 for standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

Sheriffs’ offices that served 250,000 residents, and had
vehicle pursuits during 2012, conducted an average of
34 pursuits each. Overall, these agencies conducted more
than 6,000 pursuits, or 36% of all pursuits conducted by
sheriffs’ offices in 2012 (not shown).
Local agencies in smaller jurisdictions conducted
pursuits at a rate five times higher than those in the
largest jurisdictions
In 2012, state police and highway patrol agencies conducted
17 vehicle pursuits per 100 officers employed, compared to
9 per 100 for sheriffs’ offices and 8 per 100 for local police
departments (table 3). By population size, rates among local
police departments ranged from 4 pursuits per 100 officers
in the largest jurisdictions to 15 pursuits per 100 officers in
the smallest jurisdictions.
TABLE 3
Vehicle pursuit rates for general purpose state and
local law enforcement agencies, 2012
Type of agency
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer*
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer*
State police/highway
patrol agencies

By number of sworn personnel, the combined pursuit rate
for local law enforcement agencies ranged from 5 pursuits
per 100 officers employed in jurisdictions with 250,000 or
more residents to 15 per 100 in jurisdictions with fewer than
10,000 residents (figure 2). Local police departments and
sheriffs’ offices serving smaller jurisdictions also had higher
pursuit rates when the rate was based on population size.
Figure 2
Vehicle pursuits conducted per 100 officers employed
in local law enforcement agencies, by size of population
served, 2012
250,000 or more†

Number of vehicle pursuits per—
100 sworn
100,000
100 marked
officers
residents
vehicles
8
18
18
4†
10 †
11 †
9†
16 †
17 †
10 †
17 †
18 †
9†
16 †
18 †
11 †
22 †
23
15
40
26
9
6
15
7†
4†
14
8‡
6†
12 ‡
12
9†
17
11
12 ‡
17
16
18
24
14
22
19
17

Pursuit rates among sheriffs’ offices were also higher in
smaller jurisdictions, with about 7 pursuits per 100 officers
in agencies serving 100,000 or more residents compared
to about 15 per 100 in agencies serving fewer than
25,000 residents.

100,000–249,999†
50,000–99,999†
25,000–49,999†
10,000–24,999‡
9,999 or fewer*
0

10
Number of pursuits

Note: Includes local police departments and sheriffs’ offices. See appendix table
16 for estimates and standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
‡Significant difference from comparison group at 90% confidence level.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

Note: See appendix table 15 for estimates and standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
‡Significant difference from comparison group at 90% confidence level.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

4% of local police departments and 10% of sheriffs’
offices serving fewer than 10,000 residents did not
have a written vehicle pursuit policy

State law enforcement agencies were about twice as
likely as local agencies to leave pursuit decisions to an
officer’s discretion

As of January 2013, all state police and highway patrol
agencies had a written vehicle pursuit policy, as did all
local police departments serving 25,000 or more residents
(table 4). Among sheriffs’ offices, at least 95% of the agencies
in each population category of 10,000 or more had a written
vehicle pursuit policy. An estimated 4% of local police
departments and 10% of sheriffs’ offices serving fewer than
10,000 residents did not have a written vehicle pursuit policy.

About a third (30%) of state police and highway patrol
agencies permitted officers to use their own discretion when
deciding to initiate a vehicle pursuit. Smaller percentages
of sheriffs’ offices (17%) and local police departments
(13%) had discretionary pursuit policies. In any population
category, no more than 14% of local police departments and
23% of sheriffs’ offices had a discretionary policy.

A majority of the written vehicle pursuit policies of state law
enforcement agencies (53%), sheriffs’ offices (63%), and local
police departments (71%) were based on restrictive criteria.
These policies used specific criteria (e.g., type of offense,
speed, and surrounding conditions) to define when a pursuit
was permissible.

An estimated 14% of state police and highway patrol
agencies had written pursuit policies that required
supervisory review and approval before pursuits could be
initiated by officers. Twelve percent of sheriffs’ offices had
this type of policy, as did 9% of local police departments.
A small percentage of state police and highway patrol
agencies (2%), sheriffs’ offices (2%), and local police
departments (3%) had written policies that discouraged
vehicle pursuits. Two percent of local police departments
and 1% of sheriffs’ offices prohibited vehicle pursuits.
No state police or highway patrol agencies prohibited
vehicle pursuits.

TABLE 4
Written vehicle pursuit policies of general purpose state and local law enforcement agencies, 2013
Type of agency and
population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999a
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
State police/highway patrol agencies*

Total with
policy
97% †
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
96%
96% †
99%
99%
97%
98%
95%
90%
100%

Permitted,
officer
discretion
13% †
8
9
11
7
8
14
17% †
12
11
15
23
15
19
30%

Written policy
Permitted,
Permitted, subject
restricted
to supervisory
by criteria
approval/review Discouraged
71% †
9% †
3%
84
7
1
84
6
0
83
6
0
81
8
2
78
10
2
67
9
3
63% †
12% ‡
2%
72
10
4
78
9
-62
18
1
65
7
1
62
14
3
54
14
3
53%
14%
2%

Prohibited
2% †
0
0
0
0
1
2
1% †
1
0
1
2
0
0
0%

No written
policy
3% †
0
0
0
0
-4
4% †
1
1
3
2
5
10
0%

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 17 for standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
‡Significant difference from comparison group at 90% confidence level.
--Less than 0.5%.
aTotal with policy has been rounded up from 99.7%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

Overall, sworn officers in local police departments
(85%) and sheriffs’ offices (73%) were more likely to be
employed by an agency with a restrictive type of vehicle
pursuit policy than were officers employed by state police
or highway patrol agencies (37%) (table 5). State law
enforcement officers (36%) were more likely to be employed
by an agency with a written policy that left pursuit decisions
to the officer’s discretion than were local police (7%) or
sheriffs’ (13%) officers.
The percentage of officers employed by agencies with
a discretionary vehicle pursuit policy declined from
1997 to 2013
The percentage of state and local law enforcement officers
employed by an agency with a restrictive policy increased
from 72% in 1997 to 78% in 2013 (figure 3). The percentage
of officers in agencies with a policy that required supervisory
review and approval of pursuit decisions also increased
during this time from 2% to 9%. The percentage of officers
employed by an agency that left pursuit decisions to
an officer’s discretion decreased from 17% to 11%. The
percentage of officers employed by an agency without a
written pursuit policy decreased from 2.5% in 1997 to
0.5% in 2013.

During 2012, about 500 vehicle pursuits occurred in
agencies without a written pursuit policy
An estimated 36% of the agencies without a written pursuit
policy engaged in at least one vehicle pursuit during
2012, with an average of three pursuits each. Overall, an
estimated 486 vehicle pursuits occurred in agencies without
a written pursuit policy. During 2012, an estimated 17% of
the agencies with a policy that discouraged or prohibited
pursuits conducted at least one vehicle pursuit. Overall, an
estimated 244 pursuits occurred in agencies with a written
policy that either discouraged or prohibited vehicle pursuits.
Figure 3
Distribution of sworn officers in general purpose state and
local law enforcement agencies, by type of written pursuit
policy, 1997 and 2013
Type of policy
Permitted, restricted
by criteria†
1997*
2013

Permitted, officer
discretion†
Permitted, subject
to supervisory
approval/review†
Discouraged†

A majority of the general purpose state and local law
enforcement agencies with a written policy permitting
vehicle pursuits conducted at least one pursuit during 2012.
This was true whether the policy used restrictive criteria
(64%), required supervisory approval (60%), or allowed
officer discretion (57%) (table 6). The largest number
of pursuits, about 47,000, occurred in agencies with a
restrictive pursuit policy. About 13,000 pursuits occurred
in agencies with a policy that allowed officer discretion, and
about 7,000 occurred in agencies with a policy that required
supervisory review and approval.

Note: Type of policy as of January 1, 2013. See appendix table 19 for percentages
and standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference between 1997 and 2013 at 95% confidence level.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 1997 and 2013.

TABLE 5
Sworn personnel employed by general purpose state and
local law enforcement agencies, by type of written vehicle
pursuit policy, 2013

TABLE 6
Pursuits conducted by general purpose state and local
law enforcement agencies, by type of written pursuit
policy, 2012

Type of policy
Permitted, restricted by criteria
Permitted, officer discretion
Permitted, subject to
supervisory approval/review
Discouraged
Prohibited
No written policy

Local police
officers
85% †
7†

Sheriffs'
officers
73% †
13 †

State police/
highway patrol
officers*
37%
36

7†
1
---

11 †
1
1
1

26
1
0
0

Note: Type of policy as of January 1, 2013. See appendix table 18 for
standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
--Less than 0.5%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

No written policy†
Prohibited
0

Type of policy
Permitted, restricted by criteria*
Permitted, officer discretion
Permitted, subject to supervisory
approval/review
No written policy
Discouraged or prohibited

40
50
Percent

Percent of
agencies with at
least one pursuit
64%
57
60
36 †
17 †

Number of pursuits
Average per
Total agency
46,833
7
12,976
11
7,284
486
244

8
3
3

Note: Type of policy as of January 1, 2013. See appendix table 20 for
standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

Agencies that left pursuit decisions to an officer’s
discretion had the highest pursuit rate per officer

From 1996 to 2015, there was an average of about
one pursuit-related fatality per day

The number of vehicle pursuits conducted per 100 officers
varied by type of written policy. Agencies with a written
policy that left the pursuit decision to an officer’s discretion
had the highest vehicle pursuit rate (17 pursuits per 100
officers employed) (figure 4). Agencies that discouraged or
prohibited pursuits had the lowest pursuit rate (2 per 100).
Agencies with a restrictive policy conducted 8 pursuits
per 100 officers employed.

Police vehicle pursuits resulted in more than 6,000 fatal
crashes during the 20-year aggregate period 1996 to 2015
(figure 5).1 These fatal crashes resulted in more than
7,000 deaths, an average of 355 per year (or about 1 per day).
There were more than 300 pursuit-related fatalities each year
during this period. The number of fatalities peaked in 2006
and 2007 when there were more than 400 per year.

The variation in pursuit rate by type of policy was also
illustrated by the fact that 19% of all vehicle pursuits were
conducted by agencies with discretionary pursuit policies,
although these agencies employed just 11% of all officers
(not shown). Agencies with restrictive pursuit policies
accounted for 69% of all pursuits, but employed 78% of all
officers (not shown).
Figure 4
Vehicle pursuits conducted by general purpose state and
local law enforcement agencies per 100 sworn personnel
employed, by type of pursuit policy, 2012
Type of policy
Permitted, officer
discretion*

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of pursuit-related fatalities involved
occupants of the vehicle being pursued (not shown). A third
of those killed were occupants of a vehicle not involved
in the pursuit (29%) or bystanders not in a vehicle (4%).
Occupants of the pursuing police vehicle accounted for
slightly more than 1% of the fatalities from 1996 to 2015.
1According

to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a national
reporting system on all known traffic fatalities. Data are collected through a
cooperative agreement the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
has with each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. To be
included in FARS, a crash must involve a motor vehicle traveling on a
trafficway customarily open to the public and result in the death of a person
(occupant of a vehicle or a nonoccupant) within 30 days of the crash.
FARS currently collects more than 143 different coded data elements that
characterize the crash, the vehicle, and the persons involved.

Figure 5
Fatal vehicle crashes and fatalities related to police
pursuits, 1996–2015

Permitted, subject
to supervisory
approval/review†

Number
500
Fatalities

Permitted, restricted
by criteria†

400

Discouraged
or prohibited†

300
Fatal crashes
0

6
9
12
15
Number per 100 sworn officers

Note: Type of policy as of January 1, 2013. See appendix table 21 for estimates
and standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

200
100
0

1996

2000

2004

2008

2012

2015

Note: Data include the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis
Reporting System, 1996–2015.

Pursuits database includes detailed information on the characteristics of police
vehicle pursuits in selected agencies
The Pursuits online database was launched in 2001
by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. It
standardizes pursuit reporting across 30 data fields and is
the largest national repository of pursuit data of its kind,
archiving nearly 20,000 records as of 2016. The National
Institute of Justice funded the database through a grant.
LogIn, Inc. provided software development and managed
the database. When the federal funding ended, LogIn
took over Pursuits and provides ongoing management
and development.
Agency participation in Pursuits is voluntary, and the
analyses presented here are limited to the 115 agencies that
provided data for 5,568 pursuits occurring from 2009 to
2013. These data are not necessarily representative of all
pursuits occurring nationwide.
According to the Pursuits data, a majority of pursuits
were short both in time (57% lasted 3 minutes or less)
and distance (66% covered a distance of 3 miles or less).
Despite their brevity, nearly half (45%) of police vehicle
pursuits reached speeds of greater than 70 miles per hour,
and nearly a quarter (23%) exceeded 90 miles per hour.
About two-thirds (69%) of police vehicle pursuits began
with a traffic violation, such as speeding (16%), reckless
driving (13%), or suspicion of driving while intoxicated
(12%) (figure 6). About 1 in 5 pursuits were initiated
because someone in the vehicle being pursued was
suspected of committing a nonviolent (12%) or violent
(9%) felony.
Figure 6
Primary reasons for stop preceding police vehicle
pursuits among 115 agencies, 2009–2013

Twenty-nine percent of pursuits ended because the fleeing
driver voluntarily stopped, and 25% of pursuits ended
because a pursuing officer or a supervisor discontinued
it (figure 7). Fifteen percent of pursuits ended with a
collision and 10% ended because the vehicle crossed into
another jurisdiction. About 1 in 6 violators eluded police
either in their vehicle or on foot.
Among pursuits that occurred from 2009 to 2013, there
were 2 serious injuries and 10 minor injuries for every 100
pursuits (not shown). About 76% of serious injuries were
to the suspect, 21% were to persons not involved in the
pursuit, and 3% were to a law enforcement officer.
About 0.5% (1 in 200) of these pursuits resulted in a fatality
(not shown). In comparison, using the Fatality Analysis
Reporting System total of 295 pursuit-related fatal crashes
in 2012 and the LEMAS estimate of 68,000 pursuits, the
percentage of pursuits resulting in a fatality was about
0.4% (1 in 250).
Figure 7
Primary reasons for termination of police vehicle pursuits
among 115 agencies, 2009–2013
Driver stopped
Police discontinued
Violator eluded
Collision
Exited jurisdiction
Police intervention
Vehicle disabled

Other traffic offense*

Speeding

15
Percent

Source: LogIn, Inc., Pursuits database, 2009–2013.

Reckless driving
Nonviolent felony
Driving while intoxicated
Violent felony
Misdemeanor
Assisting other agency
0

15
Percent

Note: Reasons included suspected offenses at time of the pursuit.
*Excludes speeding, reckless driving, and driving while intoxicated.
Source: LogIn, Inc., Pursuits database, 2009–2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

Methodology
Survey overview
This report uses data from the 2013 Law Enforcement
Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey.
The LEMAS survey periodically collects data from more
than 3,000 general purpose law enforcement agencies,
including state police/highway patrol agencies, local police
departments, and sheriffs’ offices. The survey includes all
agencies that employ 100 or more sworn officers and a
nationally representative sample of smaller agencies.
Previous LEMAS data collections occurred in 1987, 1990,
1993, 1997, 1999 (limited scope), 2000, 2003, and 2007.
LEMAS obtains data on—

functions performed

operating expenditures

job functions of sworn and nonsworn employees

officer salaries and special pay

demographic characteristics of officers

education and training requirements

types of weapons authorized

body armor policies

computers and information systems

types of vehicles operated

use of special units

task force participation

community policing activities.

The 2013 LEMAS survey was the first to collect data on the
number of vehicle pursuits conducted. Survey questions
were updated with each iteration to reflect emerging issues
in the field of law enforcement. Publications based on prior
LEMAS surveys can be accessed on the Bureau of Justice
Statistics’ (BJS) website.
Sampling frame
The sampling frame used for the 2013 LEMAS survey was
the 2008 BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement
Agencies (CSLLEA), which was the most recent data
collection year available.
The CSLLEA included all general purpose state and local law
enforcement agencies employing the equivalent of at least
one full-time sworn officer. The CSLLEA definition of sworn
personnel relied exclusively on whether the officer possessed
full arrest powers. Regardless of the arrest powers of their

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

officers, some agencies that the CSLLEA included were out
of scope for LEMAS. Because of its policing focus, LEMAS
excluded agencies that did not have a primary jurisdictional
area for which they provided law enforcement services.
Sample design and selection
Local police departments and sheriffs’ offices were chosen
for the LEMAS survey using a stratified sample design
based on the number of sworn personnel. The original
2013 LEMAS sample included 3,335 state and local law
enforcement agencies. It was designed to be representative of
all general purpose state and local law enforcement agencies
in the United States, with separate samples drawn for local
police departments and sheriffs’ offices. All 49 state police
and highway patrol agencies were included. Because their
primary functions differed from the other state agencies,
the Hawaii Department of Public Safety was out of scope for
this report. All agencies serving special jurisdictions (such
as schools, airports, or parks) or with special enforcement
responsibilities (such as conservation laws or alcohol laws),
were out of scope for the survey.
The 2013 LEMAS sample design called for 2,353 local
police departments, divided into seven strata based on
number of sworn officers employed, to receive the survey.
During the initial contact phase, 26 of these departments
were determined to have closed since the 2008 CSLLEA
and were dropped from the sample. Of the remaining
2,327 departments, the sample design called for all
659 departments employing 100 or more full-time sworn
personnel to be self-representing (SR) and receive the
survey. Twenty-nine of these SR departments did not receive
the survey because of inaccurate contact information. As
a result, the base weight for SR departments was 1.046
instead of the expected 1.000. The 6 remaining strata and
their corresponding base weights are 50 to 99 officers, 2.572;
25 to 49 officers, 4.225; 10 to 24 officers, 6.260; 5 to 9 officers,
7.288; 2 to 4 officers, 14.611, and 1 officer, 31.302.
The 2013 LEMAS sample design called for 933 sheriffs’
offices, divided into seven strata based on the number of
sworn officers employed, to receive the survey. During the
initial contact phase, 38 of these offices were determined to
not have an area of primary law enforcement jurisdiction
and were dropped from the sample. All 350 offices
employing 100 or more full-time sworn personnel were
SR in the sample design and were to receive the survey.
Seventeen of these SR offices did not receive the survey
because of inaccurate contact information. As a result,
the base weight for SR sheriffs’ offices was 1.051 instead
of the expected 1.000. The 6 remaining strata and their
corresponding base weights were as follows: 50 to 99 officers,
2.800; 25 to 49 officers, 4.412; 10 to 24 officers, 5.497; 5 to 9
officers, 5.485; 2 to 4 officers, 6.190; and 1 officer, 5.000.

Agency response rate
Of the 49 state police and highway patrol agencies that
received the survey, 44 completed it for a response rate of
90%. Of the 2,327 eligible local police departments that
received the survey, 2,059 completed it for a response rate of
88%. By size, the response rate for local police ranged from
91% for agencies with 50 or more officers to 84% for those
with fewer than 10 officers. An adjustment factor unique to
each stratum was used to account for nonresponse. These
nonresponse adjustments and the resulting final analytical
weights for each stratum are included in appendix table 10.
Of the 895 eligible sheriffs’ offices that received the survey,
717 completed it for a response rate of 80%. By size, the
response rate ranged from 90% for agencies with 25 to 49
full-time sworn personnel to 73% for those with 5 to 9
full-time sworn personnel. An adjustment factor unique to
each stratum was used to account for nonresponse. These
nonresponse adjustments and the resulting final analytical
weights for each stratum are included in appendix table 11.
Item nonresponse for pursuit-related questions
Written vehicle pursuit policy
Among the 86% of agencies that responded to the 2013
LEMAS survey, 98% provided the requested information
on type of written vehicle pursuit policy. The item response
rates by type of agency were—

local police departments–98% (2,024 of 2,059)

sheriffs’ offices–97% (697 of 717)

state police/highway patrol–98% (43 of 44).

Number of vehicle pursuits conducted in 2012
Among the 86% of agencies that responded to the 2013
LEMAS survey, 84% (2,376 of 2,825) provided the requested
information on number of vehicle pursuits conducted during
2012. The item response rates by type of agency were—

local police departments–86% (1,778 of 2,059)

sheriffs’ offices–78% (556 of 717)

state police/highway patrol–95% (42 of 44).

Imputations for number of pursuits
When an agency did not provide the number of pursuits
conducted during 2012, a ratio imputation method was
used. The ratio imputation used the value of the ratio of
the number of pursuits reported to the number of fulltime sworn personnel employed for agencies that provided
pursuits data. This ratio was computed for each population
category and applied to the number of full-time personnel in
agencies with the missing data to produce the imputed value.
POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

To produce national estimates for the number of pursuits
conducted by state and local law enforcement agencies,
adjustments were made specific to each stratum in the
LEMAS sample. The example below provides a step-by-step
example of how these adjustments were calculated.
Pursuit count calculations for stratum 103 (local police
departments employing 25 to 49 officers)
Step 1–Determine the number of officers employed by
agencies in the following groups:
a. Reported 1 or more pursuits–37,500
b. Reported 0 pursuits–9,988
c. Did not report the number of pursuits–7,352
Step 2–For agencies that reported the number of pursuits,
determine the ratio of officers employed by agencies that
had one or more pursuits to the total number of officers
employed by agencies that reported pursuit data (whether
they had any pursuits or not).
37,500 / (37,500 + 9,988) = 0.79
Step 3–Multiply the ratio produced in Step 2 by the number
of officers employed by agencies that did not report the
number of pursuits.
0.79 × 7,352 = 5,806
Step 4–Determine the total number of pursuits reported by
agencies that provided pursuit data. Calculate the ratio of
this number to the number of sworn officers employed by
these agencies.
4,963 / 37,500 = 0.1324
Step 5–Multiply the ratio obtained in Step 4 by the number
of officers obtained in Step 3.
0.1324 × 5,806 = 768
Step 6–Add the number of reported pursuits from Step 4 to
the estimated number of unreported pursuits from Step 5 to
obtain the new adjusted estimate for the number of pursuits
conducted by agencies in stratum 103.
4,963 + 768 = 5,732
Step 7–Divide the new adjusted number of pursuits obtained
in Step 6 by the original number of pursuits from Step 4.
5,732 / 4,963 = 1.155
Step 8–Multiply the pursuit count adjustment factor from
Step 7 by the original final analytical file weight for stratum
103 to obtain the weight to be used for estimating the
number of pursuits conducted by agencies in stratum 103.
1.155 × 4.745 = 5.480
9

Accuracy of the estimates
The accuracy of the estimates presented in this report
depends on two types of error: sampling and nonsampling.
Sampling error is the variation that may occur by chance
because a sample was used rather than a complete
enumeration of the population. Nonsampling error can be
attributed to many sources, such as the inability to obtain
information about all cases in the sample, inability to obtain
complete and correct information from the administrative
records, and processing errors. In any survey, the full extent
of the nonsampling error is never known.
The sampling error, as measured by an estimated standard
error, varies by the size of the estimate and size of the
base population. Because LEMAS data were collected
from a sample, the results are subject to sampling error.
Variance and standard error estimates for the 2013 LEMAS
were generated using the SUDAAN statistical software
package. The Taylor Series method for a “stratified without
replacement” design was used for these calculations. See
appendix tables for standard error estimates.

Standard error estimates may also be used to test the
significance of the difference between two sample statistics
by pooling the standard errors of the two sample estimates.
For example, the standard error of the difference between
departments serving fewer than 10,000 residents and those
serving 2,500 to 9,999 residents for having a restrictive
vehicle pursuit policy was 5.9% (the square root of the
sum of the squared standard errors for each group). The
95% confidence interval around the difference would be
1.96 × 5.9% (or 11.6%). Since the observed difference of
18% (72%–54%) was greater than 11.6%, the difference
would be considered statistically significant.
Standard error estimates may also be used to construct
confidence intervals around numeric variables, such as
personnel counts. For example, the 95% confidence interval
around the number of pursuits conducted by local police
departments was 40,491 ± 1.96 × 920, or 38,688 to 42,294.

Standard error estimates may be used to construct
confidence intervals around percentages in this report. For
example, the 95% confidence interval around the percentage
of local police departments serving fewer than 10,000
residents with a discretionary vehicle pursuit policy was
14% ± 1.96 × 1.6% (approximately 11% to 17%).

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

APPENDIX TABLE 1
General purpose state and local law enforcement
agencies maintaining formal records of vehicle pursuit
incidents, 2013
Type of agency and population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
State police/highway patrol agencies

Percent
94%
99
99
98
98
98
92
93%
98
99
85
97
94
90
100%

Note: See appendix table 2 for standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 3
General purpose state and local law enforcement agencies
with a written foot pursuit policy, 2013
Type of agency and population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
State police/highway patrol agencies

Percent
17%
24
17
18
21
22
15
18%
14
20
14
17
21
18
19%

Note: See appendix table 4 for standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 2
Standard errors for appendix table 1: General purpose state
and local law enforcement agencies maintaining formal
records of vehicle pursuit incidents, 2013

APPENDIX TABLE 4
Standard errors for appendix table 3: General purpose state
and local law enforcement agencies with a written foot
pursuit policy, 2013

Type of agency and population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer

Percent
1.0%
0.4
0.3
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.4
1.1%
0.6
0.4
3.7
1.4
2.0
3.1

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

Percent
1.1%
1.6
1.3
1.9
2.2
2.1
1.5
1.5%
1.6
3.2
3.0
3.2
3.4
4.0

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 5
Restrictions included in the written foot pursuit policies of general purpose state and local law enforcement
agencies, 2013

Type of agency
Local police departments
Sheriffs’ offices
State police/highway patrol agencies

Foot pursuit not allowed if—
Officers become separated Officers lose radio
Officers lose visual
and cannot immediately
contact with dispatch
Officer is acting alone contact with suspect assist each other
or backup officers
58%
60%
49%
58%
48
56
45
57
38
88
25
38

Suspect believed
to have firearm
54%
55
50

Note: See appendix table 6 for standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 6
Standard errors for appendix table 5: Restrictions included in the written foot pursuit policies of general purpose
state and local law enforcement agencies, 2013

Type of agency
Local police departments
Sheriffs’ offices

Suspect believed
to have firearm
3.6%
4.7

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 7
Written foot pursuit policies that encouraged the use
of containment tactics, 2013
Type of agency and population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
State police/highway patrol agencies

Percent
69%
95
78
85
70
74
66
67%
90
76
74
76
64
50
50%

Note: See appendix table 8 for standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

APPENDIX TABLE 8
Standard errors for appendix table 7: Written foot
pursuit policies that encouraged the use of containment
tactics, 2013
Type of agency and population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer

Percent
3.1%
1.7
2.9
4.1
5.3
4.7
4.7
4.5%
3.3
7.0
10.4
8.9
8.7
12.5

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 9
Pursuit-related fatalities, by state, 1996–2015
Jurisdiction
U.S. total
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Total
7,090
243
15
272
98
827
114
58
22
22
311
369
5
20
244
192
39
83
80
132
36
81
114
300
72
39
206
32
29
55
36
113
80
94
240
12
231
123
90
267
27
180
35
182
762
39
23
178
102
43
100
23

Occupant of
police vehicle
88
4
0
0
0
8
1
1
0
0
3
4
0
0
2
7
0
0
3
3
0
2
0
3
0
1
6
1
0
1
0
2
0
2
5
0
1
5
1
4
1
2
0
5
4
0
0
3
1
1
0
1

Occupant of
chased vehicle
4,637
184
8
169
74
520
83
34
15
11
195
289
4
14
144
129
36
41
54
78
25
45
70
183
44
31
121
21
22
29
29
51
43
45
142
7
100
104
59
194
18
93
28
131
581
23
12
113
76
27
70
18

Occupant of
other vehicle
2,088
49
6
96
21
260
24
16
6
10
97
69
1
6
80
53
3
40
20
47
11
30
36
101
25
6
73
8
6
23
7
48
36
38
91
5
116
13
30
56
6
83
6
39
144
14
10
59
20
15
27
2

Nonoccupant
277
6
1
7
3
39
6
7
1
1
16
7
0
0
18
3
0
2
3
4
0
4
8
13
3
1
6
2
1
2
0
12
1
9
2
0
14
1
0
13
2
2
1
7
33
2
1
3
5
0
3
2

Pursuit-related
fatalities per
100,000 residents
2.4
5.3
2.2
4.7
3.5
2.3
2.5
1.7
2.6
3.9
1.7
4.1
0.4
1.4
1.9
3.1
1.3
3.0
1.9
2.9
2.7
1.4
1.8
3.0
1.4
1.3
3.6
3.4
1.6
2.3
2.8
1.3
4.1
0.5
2.8
1.9
2.0
3.5
2.5
2.1
2.5
4.2
4.5
3.0
3.3
1.6
3.7
2.3
1.6
2.4
1.8
4.5

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 1996–2015.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

APPENDIX TABLE 10
Base weights, nonresponse adjustment factors, and final analytical weights for local police departments, Law Enforcement
Management and Administrative Statistics survey, 2013
Number of full-time sworn personnel
Total
100 or more
50–99
25–49
10–24
5–9
2–4
0–1

In universe
12,326
659
800
1,542
2,842
2,507
2,630
1,346

Number of departments
Sampled
Responded
2,327
2,059
630
574
311
284
365
325
454
399
344
289
180
158
43
30

Base sample
weight
~
1.046
2.572
4.225
6.260
7.288
14.611
31.302

Nonresponse
adjustment factor
~
1.095
1.098
1.123
1.138
1.190
1.139
1.433

Final analytical
weight
~
1.148
2.817
4.745
7.123
8.675
16.646
44.867

~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 11
Base weights, nonresponse adjustment factors, and final analytical weights for sheriffs' offices, Law Enforcement Management
and Administrative Statistics survey, 2013
Number of full-time officers
Total
100 or more full-time officers
50–99
25–49
10–24
5–9
2–4
1

In universe
3,012
350
322
578
907
565
260
30

Number of sheriffs' offices
Sampled
Responded
895
717
333
258
115
96
131
118
165
129
103
75
42
36
6
5

Base sample
weight
~
1.051
2.800
4.412
5.497
5.485
6.190
5.000

Nonresponse
adjustment factor
~
1.291
1.198
1.110
1.279
1.373
1.167
1.200

Final analytical
weight
~
1.357
3.354
4.898
7.031
7.533
7.222
6.000

~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

APPENDIX TABLE 12
Estimates and standard errors for figure 1: Vehicle
pursuits conducted by general purpose state and local law
enforcement agencies, 2012
Type of agency
Local police departments
Sheriffs' offices
State police/highway patrol agencies

Estimate
40,491
17,591
9,939

Standard error
930
715
46

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 13
Standard errors for table 1: General purpose state and
local law enforcement agencies that conducted vehicle
pursuits, 2012
Type of agency and population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer

Percent that
conducted pursuits
1.6%
0.0
0.7
0.7
2.1
2.3
2.1
2.0%
3.1
4.2
4.5
4.2
4.3
5.1

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 14
Standard errors for table 2: Vehicle pursuits conducted
by general purpose state and local law enforcement
agencies, 2012
Type of agency and
population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer

Number
of pursuits
930
412
254
286
297
501
607
715
437
253
354
339
360
129

Average number
of pursuits per
agency*
0.1
4.0
1.2
0.7
0.4
0.3
0.1
0.3
2.3
1.0
1.1
0.7
0.6
0.5

*Excludes agencies that did not conduct any pursuits.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 15
Standard errors for table 3: Vehicle pursuit rates for general
purpose state and local law enforcement agencies, 2012
Type of agency and
population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer

Number of vehicle pursuits per—
100 sworn
100,000
100 marked
officers
residents
vehicles
0.2
0.4
0.4
0.2
0.5
0.6
0.4
0.8
0.8
0.6
0.9
1.0
0.6
1.0
1.1
0.8
1.6
1.6
0.8
2.3
1.5
0.4
0.3
0.6
0.5
0.3
0.9
0.7
0.6
1.1
1.5
1.2
2.2
1.5
1.6
2.3
2.3
2.5
3.3
2.3
3.7
3.2

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

APPENDIX TABLE 16
Estimates and standard errors for figure 2: Vehicle
pursuits conducted per 100 officers employed in local law
enforcement agencies, by size of population served, 2012
Population served
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer*

Estimate
5†
9†
11 †
10 †
12 ‡
15

Standard error
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.6
0.8
0.8

*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
‡Significant difference from comparison group at 90% confidence level. Source:
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative
Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 17
Standard errors for table 4: Written vehicle pursuit policies of general purpose state and local law enforcement agencies, 2013
Type of agency and
population served
Local police departments
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer
Sheriffs' offices
250,000 or more
100,000–249,999
50,000–99,999
25,000–49,999
10,000–24,999
9,999 or fewer

Permitted, officer
discretion
1.1%
1.0
0.8
1.7
1.5
1.3
1.6
1.5%
1.8
2.4
3.5
3.9
3.0
4.0

Permitted, restricted
by criteria
1.5%
1.4
1.0
1.9
2.1
2.0
2.0
2.0%
2.7
3.4
4.6
4.3
4.1
5.2

Written policy
Permitted, subject to
supervisory approval/review Discouraged
0.9%
0.5%
1.0
0.4
0.6
0.0
1.1
0.0
1.5
0.8
1.4
0.6
1.2
0.8
1.4%
0.6%
1.3
2.1
2.5
0.3
3.8
1.1
2.5
0.7
2.9
1.4
3.6
1.8

Prohibited
0.5%
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.6
0.8
0.7
0.4%
0.5
0.0
1.1
1.3
0.9
0.0

No written
policy
0.8%
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.2
1.1
0.9%
0.3
1.0
1.9
1.3
1.9
3.1

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 18
Standard errors for table 5: Sworn personnel employed by
general purpose state and local law enforcement agencies,
by type of written vehicle pursuit policy, 2013
Type of policy
Permitted, restricted by criteria
Permitted, officer discretion
Permitted, subject to supervisory
approval/review
Discouraged
Prohibited
No written policy

Local police
departments
0.8%
0.5

Sheriffs' offices
1.6%
1.1

0.5
0.2
0.1
0.1

1.1
0.2
0.2
0.3

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

APPENDIX TABLE 19
Estimates and standard errors for figure 3: Distribution of
sworn personnel in general purpose state and local law
enforcement agencies, by type of written pursuit policy,
1997 and 2013
Type of policy
Permitted, restricted by criteria
Permitted, officer discretion
Permitted, subject to
supervisory approval/review
Discouraged
No written policy
Prohibited

1997*
Standard
Percent error
72%
0.7%
17
0.7
2
5
3
--

0.1
0.6
0.5
0.1

2013
Standard
Percent error
78% †
0.7%
11 †
0.4
9†
1†
-- †
--

0.4
0.1
0.1
0.1

Note: Type of policy as of January 1, 2013.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference between 1997 and 2013 at 95% confidence level.
--Less than 0.5%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 1997 and 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 21
Estimates and standard errors for figure 4: Vehicle
pursuits conducted by general purpose state and local law
enforcement agencies per 100 sworn personnel employed,
by type of pursuit policy, 2012
Type of policy
Estimate
Permitted, officer discretion*
17
Permitted, subject to supervisory approval/review
11 †
Permitted, restricted by criteria
8†
Discouraged or prohibited
2†

Standard error
0.6
0.8
0.2
0.5

Note: Type of policy as of January 1, 2013.
*Comparison group.
†Significant difference from comparison group at 95% confidence level.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 20
Standard errors for table 6: Pursuits conducted by general
purpose state and local law enforcement agencies, by type
of written pursuit policy, 2012
Type of policy
Permitted, restricted by criteria
Permitted, officer discretion
Permitted, subject to supervisory
approval/review
No written policy
Discouraged or prohibited

Percent of agencies
with at least one
pursuit
1.6%
4.3
4.5
11.9
4.7

Number of pursuits
Total
Average
1,039.3
0.2
480.6
0.4
539.3
158.7
49.5

0.6
0.9
0.5

Note: Type of policy as of January 1, 2013.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics survey, 2013.

POLICE VEHICLE PURSUITS, 2012-2013 | MAY 2017

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal
federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal
offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal
and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects,
analyzes, and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice
systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal
justice information systems, and participates with national and international
organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics.
Jeri M. Mulrow is acting director.
This report was written by Brian A. Reaves. Connor Brooks verified the report.
Caitlin Scoville and Jill Thomas edited the report. Tina Dorsey produced
the report.
May 2017, NCJ 250545

NCJ250545

Office of Justice Programs
Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice
www.ojp.usdoj.gov