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Newport News Police Department
3. The field supervisor in the area the pursuit has entered will decide on whether to maintain the
agency’s response after the immediate initial response based on the following:
a. The safety of the public and all law enforcement.
b. The factors articulated by the originating agency regarding the pursuit.
c. The identity of the offender(s); and
d. Ability to effectively maintain the pursuit.
4. When the pursuit enters the jurisdiction of Newport News, the first two marked Newport News patrol
units to make contact with the pursuit will engage in active pursuit with the neighboring agency's
units. No other Newport News units will engage in active pursuit.
5. In the event the other agency’s reason for the pursuit does not meet the criteria previously outlined
in Section III. A and B, the Newport News Police Department will not actively engage in the pursuit.
The respective law enforcement agency that initiated the pursuit will be contacted and notified as
such. Officers instead will attempt to clear intersections to allow the other law enforcement agency
and the pursued vehicle an unobstructed passage.
6. The field supervisor will closely monitor the progress of the pursuit and will have the authority to
request that the adjoining jurisdiction terminate the pursuit. [41.2.2(h,i)]
J. Vehicle Pursuit Report [41.2.2(k); 82.2.1]
1. The primary officer involved in the pursuit will complete a pursuit entry in Axon Standards before
ending their tour of duty. The vehicle pursuit will serve as the primary report under the event. All
other associated reports in Axon Standards will fall under the same event identification number.
a. If the pursuit was initiated by another agency that entered the jurisdiction of Newport
News, the vehicle pursuit report will be completed by the lead Newport News officer
involved in the pursuit or by an officer designated by the field supervisors overseeing the
pursuit.
b. In the summary section of the report, officers must clearly articulate their initial reason for
pursuing the vehicle and conditions that affected the decision to continue and/or terminate
a pursuit.
2. Each person in the officer's chain of command will review the vehicle pursuit report and associated
body-worn camera footage. Each reviewer will document any compliance, training or policy issues.
a. The officer's immediate supervisor will review the report, add any comments, and forward it
through the chain of command to the officer’s division/precinct commander.
b. The division/precinct commander will review the report, make comments, and forward it to the
Assistant Chief of Patrol for review and comment and forward it to Internal Affairs.
c. A Special Operations Division supervisors may review the report and may provide feedback as to
whether the pursuit complied with department policy. Training staff may also review a report
and provide feedback regarding compliance with training related to vehicle pursuits.
3. Vehicle pursuit reports will be analyzed annually for patterns or trends that may indicate training
needs and/or policy modification. This analysis will include a review of this policy and all reporting
procedures. The analysis will be documented and forwarded to the Chief of Police for approval.
[41.2.2(l)]
K. Criminal Prosecution and Civil Liability
The authority to operate an emergency vehicle in a hot pursuit situation does not protect the officer from
criminal prosecution, nor does it shelter the officer from civil liability for acts constituting gross
negligence.
IV. TRAINING
A. All sworn personnel will receive documented training on this policy before they begin field training.
[41.2.2m]
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