Texas’ Wildest Police Chases….No More: Change in Pursuit Policy Sweeps Lone Star State

Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when the police come for you?

When it comes to a police chase, will Texas law enforcement give pursuit or call it off? It depends.

In Texas, rules are set in place regarding vehicular pursuit from law enforcement. These are also known as no chase laws and, according to an International Association of Chiefs of Police Texas policy from 2015, is packed with information that the public may not even know about.

Vehicular Pursuit in Texas

The reality is that when LEO routinely engage in the pursuit of reckless criminals driving at high speeds, these scenarios threaten the safety of not only those involved in the pursuit, but the safety of civilians caught in the way as well.

When law enforcement update communications about an impending pursuit, they must turn on on their emergency lights, sirens and cameras. These must stay on for the duration of the pursuit.

The officer must also "continuously update communications on the pursuit conditions, location, weather conditions, and presence of other traffic", according to the policy.

When Will Officers NOT Pursue?

If the pursuit will pose an immediate and clear threat to the public, then pursuit is called off. Additional reasons include the following:

• The primary unit (main law enforcement vehicle at the forefront of the chase) must drive the opposite direction on a one-way road "against the lawful flow of traffic"
• The safety of other drivers is not assured and the identity of the pursuant is already found

Another element about vehicular pursuit is that additional law enforcement will only join in the pursuit if instructed by a supervisor. Despite this, officers nearby should still be monitoring the progress and be prepared to assist if called upon.

The only units allowed to pursue are clearly marked vehicles. So, if an undercover unit (unlabeled cop car) begins a pursuit, they will disengage when a clearly marked unit is available to take over the chase.

Finally, if pursuit trails into a neighboring jurisdiction, then it is up to the supervisor if participation is accepted. Participation can vary from none at all to full takeover. In the case of the latter, the original jurisdiction will call off all units and let the neighboring department take over the pursuit.