Introduction
The law enforcement agencies in the United States have come up with policies that prohibit the police from pursuing drivers who overspeed. Pursuing overspeeding drivers can be dangerous not only to the police officers but also the drivers and bystanders. Alpert (1998) argues that before the establishment of the policies, there were high numbers of accidents involving police officers, rogue drivers, and innocent pedestrians. According to Alpert (1998), high-speed pursuit contributed to over 350 deaths annually. A majority of the victims were innocent civilians. The current policies on a high-speed chase are quite restrictive. The systems give a guideline on when a police officer should pursue an overspeeding driver. The primary objective of the policies is to establish a balance between law enforcement and the safety of the general public (Alpert, 1998). While some agencies maintain that it is important to apprehend individuals who violate traffic rules, the arrest should be made in a manner that does not compromise the safety of pedestrians, police officers, and drivers. This research seeks to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of no high-speed chase policies by law enforcement agencies.
Research Objectives
The primary goal of this research is to ascertain the efficiency of the application of the no high-speed chase policies. The study will also determine the effects of the policies on the results of the pursuits.
Research Questions
The study aims to answer two major questions, which are:
- Have law enforcement agencies managed to implement the no high-speed chase policies effectively?
- What are the impacts of the no high-speed chase policies on the safety of the police officers, pedestrians, and drivers?
Literature Review
Alpert (1998) alleges “Law enforcement policies and procedures governing high-speed chases have become the major point of contention in litigation on the question of police liability for pursuit-incurred property damage or bodily injury” (p. 349). A majority of the lawsuits in the courts site police negligence as a major cause of accidents. As a result, states have come up with no high-speed chase policies that seek to ensure the safety of the police officers and the drivers. A general assumption is that only individuals who commit serious crimes flee from law enforcement agencies. However, research shows that some people flee in fear of being punished for the minor offenses that they commit. The individuals claim that they would have minimized their speed if they felt secure from the law enforcement agencies. Indeed, supporters of the no high-speed chase policies argue that the guidelines help to reduce risks on the roads. Alpert and Madden (2008) argue that a study of the Miami-Dade Police Department found that the no high-speed chase policies helped to enhance public safety. The number of pursuit-related injuries went down by 82 percent.
The introduction of no high-speed chase policies does not contribute to increase in the number of crimes. Instead, it minimizes the cases of suspects trying to flee from law enforcement agencies. Most no high-speed chase policies offer alternatives to pursuits. Rather than following the suspects at high speed, the law enforcement agencies pursue the offenders at a distance. A study by Falcone (2007) revealed that the alternative policies are active especially in heavy traffic. The no high-speed chase policies accord the law enforcement agencies an opportunity to arrest criminals at a later time without putting the public at risk. Also, the procedures ensure that the law enforcement agencies do not suffer from civil liabilities. Before the introduction of no high-speed chase policies, many law enforcement agencies were liable to civil liability due to the use of excessive force. Besides, many police officers were slapped with lawsuits under § 1983 liability (Falcone, 2007). However, the introduction of the policies ensured that the law enforcement agencies operated within the laws, therefore not colliding with the public or suspects.
Methodology
Dependent and Independent variables
The research seeks to determine if the application of no high-speed chase policies have helped the law enforcement agencies to minimize road carnage. Additionally, it will determine if the application of the policies have contributed to reducing the number of lawsuits. The independent variable for the research will be the no high-speed chase policies. On the other hand, the dependent variables will be the number of road carnage and lawsuits. In this study, the no high-speed chase policies will be defined as all laws that prohibit police officers from pursuing drivers who are suspected of committing crimes. Conversely, the road carnage will refer to the accidents that arise as a result of the law enforcement agencies pursuing offenders. The lawsuits will apply to all litigations that occur as a result of the law enforcement agencies pursuing overspeeding suspects. The policies will be identified based on whether they prohibit pursuit of criminals or offer an alternative way of dealing with suspects. The road carnage will be selected if they occurred as a result of the police officer pursuing an offender. The lawsuits will be chosen if they arose as a result of an accident involving a law enforcement agent and a rogue driver or a bystander.
Unit of Analysis
The study will include two units of analysis. It will analyze data on road carnage from the traffic department to determine its dynamics since the inception of the no high-speed chase policies. On the other hand, the researcher will analyze litigations from the high court to identify the number of lawsuits that result from the pursuit of offenders.
Sampling Method
The research will rely on data gathered from 2010 to date. The researcher will visit the New York Police Department to collect the necessary information. Moreover, some information will be obtained from the high court in New York. The researcher will use a stratified sampling method to come up with a sample. The method will help to minimize sampling error, thus enhancing the credibility of the findings.
Statistical Techniques
The study will rely on two statistical methods. The researcher will use both correlations and linear regression techniques. The two approaches are useful for determining the relationship between variables (Baxter & Jack, 2008). As a result, they will enable the researcher to determine the link between the no high-speed chase policies and road carnage as well as the lawsuits.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Research Design
The researcher will use the case study design in this research. One advantage of the case study design is its malleability to diverse research settings. As the researcher will use numerous sources of data, the design will facilitate triangulation of the results. The case study design will help the researcher to conduct a comprehensive study. The research design will enable the researcher to analyze the research questions in context and detail. Yin (2009) maintains that case study helps the researcher to discern and represent the numerous aspects of the research question in detail. Case study design helps the researcher to come up with comprehensive qualitative data, which facilitates interpretation of a phenomenon. Moreover, it allows the flexibility of the survey. In other words, the researcher can conduct the investigation at any point in the study process. Additionally, the case study design can help the researcher acquire insights for a comprehensive study in the future.
The primary weakness of the case study design is the issue of generality. Case studies are definite. In this regard, it is hard for the researcher to generalize the findings. A researcher has to compare his/her findings with results generated through other methods. Case study design is prone to the fusion of research and political objectives. Many times, “researchers present the results as if they are self-evidently true” (Yin, 2009, p. 45). Some researchers do not view case study as an instrument for confirming the authenticity of common arguments. Case study design is quite taxing. The researcher has to have a total access to case locations. Additionally, the researcher has to deal with the intricacy of field study, particularly if there is the need to use numerous methods of data collection.
Conclusion
The United States is gradually adopting policies that prohibit law enforcement agencies from chasing overspeeding drivers as a way to minimize road carnage. The country is adopting alternative policies that enable the police to identify the suspects and arrest them at a later time. One cannot claim that the policies have helped to minimize accidents and lawsuits without conducting a comprehensive case study research. Thus, this paper outlines a mechanical design that can contribute to ascertaining this claim.
References
Alpert, G. (1998). A factorial analysis of police pursuit driving decisions: A research note. Justice Quarterly, 15(2), 347-359.
Alpert, G., & Madden, T. (2008). Police pursuit is driving: An empirical analysis of critical decisions. American Journal of Police, 13(4), 23-45.
Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(2), 544-559.
Falcone, D. (2007). Police pursuits and officer attitudes: Myths and realities. American Journal of Police, 13(1), 143-155.
Yin, R. (2009). Doing case study research (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.