The PIT maneuver is a method, popular with police departments, by which one car pursuing another can force the pursued vehicle to abruptly turn sideways to the direction of travel, causing the driver to lose control and stop. The acronym "PIT" stands for either Precision Immobilization Technique or Pursuit Intervention Technique, depending on which police department is using it. Other names for the same maneuver are Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI), "tactical ramming," and "legal intervention."

History

The PIT maneuver's potential was first recorded in the late 1970s by the California Highway Patrol. It was further developed and popularized in the 1980s by BSR Incorporated, an advanced driver training school in Summit Point, West Virginia. BSR titled the technique Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI). It gained popularity through the 1990s, and the technique was refined so as to reduce the violent ramming called for by earlier variations.

The first large law enforcement agency to teach TVI as a technique to halt fleeing vehicles was the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia, which modified the program for police use and named it "precision immobilization technique" or PIT. Police departments throughout the United States including the San Bernardino Sheriffs in California have come to believe that, executed properly, PIT is an intermediate force option that can safely end a pursuit. Police vehicles often have reinforced bumpers to support this technique.

How To

The PIT begins when the pursuing vehicle pulls alongside the fleeing vehicle so that the portion of the pursuer's vehicle forward of the front wheels is aligned with the portion of the target vehicle behind the back wheels. The pursuer gently makes contact with the target's side, then steers sharply into the target. As soon as the fleeing vehicle's rear tires lose traction and start to skid, the pursuer brakes quickly while continuing to turn in the same direction until clear of the target. The target will turn in the opposite direction, in front of the pursuer, and will either spin out or abruptly exit the roadway.

It is a good idea to have another police car in tail to proceed with the arrest while the PIT unit recovers its control and stops completly the car.

Policies

The PIT is not applicable in every situation. Typical police policy is not to attempt the PIT at greater than 35 miles per hour (55 kilometers per hour). Its effective use requires careful choice of location, considering all possible effects on other traffic and pedestrians. Because of the police department's potential liability for the injury or death not only of the occupants of the target vehicle but also to bystanders, most departments limit its use to only the most high-risk scenarios. Most departments specify that the PIT should only be used to stop pursuits that are immediately dangerous and ongoing. When possible, three pursuers should be present when a PIT is executed: one as the PIT vehicle and two following at a greater distance to react to the results.

The PIT is especially hazardous when the vehicles' bumpers are of significantly different heights, or against target vehicles with a high center of gravity such as vans or SUVs.

Legal Opinions

Intentional contact between vehicles has been characterized as deadly force, though recent federal appellate cases have mitigated this precedent. In Adams v. St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Department, the court ruled that, while fatalities may result from intentional collisions between automobiles, they are infrequent, and therefore deadly force should not be presumed to be the level of force applied in such incidents. In Donovan v. City of Milwaukee, another court recognized this principle, but added that collisions between automobiles and motorcycles frequently lead to the death of the motorcyclist, and therefore a presumption that deadly force was used in such intentional collisions is more appropriate.