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Newport News Police Department - Operational Manual
OPS-310 - EMERGENCY VEHICLE OPERATION
Amends/Supersedes: OPS-310 (09/20/2007) Date of Issue: 05/07/2021
I. GENERAL
A. It is the policy of this Department that all employees operate city vehicles in the safest manner
possible.
B. When operating a police unit during emergency response, officers must exercise extreme caution at
all times. The safety of the officers and the community must be of paramount concern. Officers are
responsible for maintaining proper control of their vehicles at all times. [41.2.1(d)]
C. Any police vehicle operating in an emergency mode is governed by §46.2-920 of the Code of
Virginia. The police vehicle must have both the emergency lights and siren systems in operation. If
emergency lights and/or siren fails, emergency operation of the unit will be terminated. [41.2.1(d)]
D. §46.2-920 D of the Code of Virginia states that a law-enforcement vehicle operated by a law-
enforcement officer may disregard speed limits, while having due regard for safety of persons and
property:
1. In testing the accuracy of speedometers of such vehicles
2. In testing the accuracy of speed measuring devices specified in §46.2-882
3. In following another vehicle for the purpose of determining its speed.
II. PROCEDURE [41.2.1(d)]
A. Calls for service will be prioritized based on the nature and severity of the situation (see COM-710
Police Response Procedures). Generally, calls will fall within the following priority designations:
[41.2.1(a-c)]
1. Calls involving an immediate threat to life will be given the highest level of priority (priority 1)
for response;
2. Calls involving an immediate threat to property or any call that is likely to escalate to an
immediate threat to life without a prompt response from officers (priority 2); and
3. Calls for service that may pend for a period of time without significant negative impact on the
solvability of the crime. Generally, calls for service that are no longer in progress or a delayed
report as well as all calls that do not meet the criteria for a priority 1 or 2 call are designated as
non-emergency (priority 3 or 4).
B. Emergency vehicle operation is authorized in situations that demand the immediate presence of the
police in order to protect a person from possible death or serious injury (priority 1), such as:
1. Response to motor vehicle accidents involving death, serious injury, or likelihood of such injury
due to the location or condition of the accident scene.
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