Theoretical and contextual issues in police pursuit: Describing various levels of policy restrictiveness

This dissertation examines vehicular police pursuit as an issue of lethal force used by law enforcement officers in the United States. The research utilizes secondary data analysis to observe perceptual and formal characteristics of police pursuit policy. A random probability sample of 214 municipal police agencies was utilized. Additionally, a content analysis of 183 randomly selected police pursuit policies was conducted. The major purpose of the analysis was to examine police pursuit through a probability sampling approach and within a theoretical context. The focal concern of the major analysis was an examination of perceptual and formal pursuit policy restrictiveness. A modified restrictiveness scale was developed which revealed that most of the sampled policies were somewhat restrictive. The perceptual analysis also indicated a normative level of restrictiveness. Years of pursuit policy existence emerged as the most important factor related to formal and perceived restrictiveness in that older policies were viewed and categorized as more discretionary. The conclusion places police pursuit policy changes within a theoretical context of dissipative structures.