5-09/210.30 - Pursuit Evaluation and Reporting



Following a pursuit, it shall be the responsibility of the watch commander supervising the pursuit to ensure that the pursuit operation is fully debriefed.  This debriefing will be conducted to assess the performance and tactics utilized, strategies which may be improved in future pursuits, and create training materials for other personnel.  This debriefing may be conducted by the field sergeant and discussed with the watch commander, who shall document the debriefing in a memorandum to the unit commander.  Efforts should be made, whenever possible, to include Aero Bureau participants in the debriefing.

  • The watch commander shall also ensure the Department Pursuit Evaluation form (SH-R-454) is completed, and submit the form to the unit commander for review by the end of the next business day;
  • The unit commander charged with command responsibility for the Sheriff's vehicle engaged in the pursuit shall review the Department Pursuit Evaluation form.  The purpose of the unit commander's review is to determine if the pursuit was within Department policy and whether the pursuit was properly managed.  If the pursuit involved personnel not assigned to a patrol station, a copy of the completed form shall be sent to the involved personnel’s unit commander for review;
  • If the vehicle pursuit is an integral part of a force or shooting incident being handled by the Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) Force and Shooting Team, then the Executive Force Review Committee (EFRC) will be responsible for determining whether or not the vehicle pursuit was within policy.  The watch commander shall complete the Department Pursuit Evaluation form and immediately submit the form and other pertinent documents and audio files to the IAB Force and Shooting Team handling the incident;
  • All pursuit data, regardless if the pursuit resulted in a collision or not, shall be submitted the Traffic Services Detail on the Department Pursuit Evaluation form within 15 business days.  The form should be submitted via Outlook to the Pursuit Evaluation Reporting email group.  The evaluation form may be submitted prior to completing the pursuit package.
  • Traffic Services Detail shall complete the California Highway Patrol, CHP-187, form and forward the form to the State within 30 calendar days as required by Section 14602.1 of the California Vehicle Code.
     

NOTE:  When a pursuit was initiated due to a reckless driving under the influence (DUI) observation, then Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST) shall be conducted and documented in the report.   When circumstances dictate SFST cannot be conducted (e.g., suspect transported to hospital, or uncooperative suspect, etc.), documentation describing the circumstances is required.

The Department Pursuit Evaluation form is available on the Sheriff's Data Network.