Original Article Mesa's police force may be going to the PITs Brass consider driving tactic to end car chases Senta Scarborough The Arizona Republic Oct. 10, 2004 12:00 AM Police say it's like tripping a suspect fleeing on foot. A slight tap with a patrol car's front end behind the back tire of a suspect's vehicle sends the fleeing car spinning to a stop. The method, used by law enforcement agencies nationwide to safely end pursuits, is commonly known as the PIT (precision immobilization technique ) maneuver. Mesa this week may become the first municipal police agency in the Valley to add the PIT maneuver to its arsenal to halt dangerous fleeing suspects. Mesa's command staff is reviewing a draft policy and is expected to decide whether to approve the policy and its use for trained patrol officers this week. Officials say the maneuver may offer officers another option to help end pursuits more quickly and safely while curbing high-speed chases that endanger the public. The maneuver takes only a few seconds but can end a chase safely, officers said. "It's a little startling. You lose control completely. There is just a spin," said Mesa police Detective Kent Carroll, a driving instructor. Carroll said the PIT can be performed in two to three lanes of traffic under the correct conditions. Inside the PIT patrol car, an occupant hardly notices contact has been made. Carroll said being inside the "suspect car" feels the same as if a car hit a patch of ice. In addition to having strict pursuit policies that prohibit officers from chasing fleeing vehicles, most Valley police departments, including Phoenix, Tempe and Glendale, prohibit the PIT. "We try not to do things that are not predictable," said Tempe police spokesman Officer Jeff Lane, noting that "you don't know what is going to happen to the vehicle afterward" and citing "a lot of conditions you have to think about before you do that." Glendale police public information officer Michael Pea, who worked for a Chicago area police department that he said used the PIT effectively, suggested that the maneuver is safer in the inner city. He said traffic congestion kept suspects from fleeing at high speed there, but the Valley's open space encourages suspects to flee at higher speeds. "It is very different if you have to get at that speed," he added. "The problem is if they are going fast and you do a PIT maneuver (the pursued vehicle) can spin out over two lanes or lose total control." Tactic gains popularity But the maneuver, developed by BSR Inc., an advanced driving school in Summit Point, W.Va., for the Navy SEALs and the Army's Delta Force units, is becoming increasingly popular with law enforcement agencies nationwide since Fairfax, Va., law enforcement agencies and then the California Highway Patrol began using it in the early 1990s. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office approved the PIT maneuver last year, and deputies are trained to use it at their discretion, said sheriff's spokesman Lt. J.J. Tuttle. Scottsdale police and the Arizona Department of Public Safety have recently trained with Mesa. "It gives law enforcement another tool to prevent fleeing violators from killing people in vehicles and causing damage," said Scottsdale police Sgt. Rob Rucker, the department's emergency vehicle operations coordinator. "It won't be used a lot, but if it is used right it is worth its weight in gold." Tom Gussie, Mesa police driving coordinator, said he started looking into the method after noticing that several pursuits had lasted longer they should have. For three years, he has researched the PIT to borrow the best aspects of other agencies' policies. "I was looking for another tool for the officers to use to end pursuits or hazardous driving situations on our streets." Gussie said. "I think it will be valuable for the officers if they need to use it." If approved, Mesa police say the PIT might be used in situations to stop intoxicated motorists driving at slow speeds who fail to stop for officers, Mesa police spokesman Sgt. Chuck Trapani said. Mesa's draft policy would make a PIT at 35 mph or above considered a use of deadly force. The policy would not allow the method to be used during pursuits of motorcycles. 1 case under scrutiny The PIT maneuver recently came under scrutiny after two people were killed when they spun out and struck a tree after a Georgia state trooper used the maneuver during a high-speed chase. "It was a dangerous pursuit we felt we needed to stop before an innocent bystander got killed," said Georgia State Patrol spokesman Trooper 1st Class Larry Schnall. He added that the trooper acted properly in the Aug. 17 incident. "Mesa police, as do other agencies, routinely research and test less lethal "tools" for street use, Trapani said. "We are a progressive police department and we are always looking for ways to improve the way we service the public," Trapani said. "Before we implement something, we talk to other agencies, look at stats of injuries, we conduct training, and test it." Mesa police most often use a helicopter in a chase while a patrol officer follows at a safe distance. Mesa also uses stop sticks to halt a vehicle. Since mid-June, Mesa police have taught 32 of its driving instructors the use of a PIT maneuver. During the 10-hour class, an officer conducts 35 to 50 PIT maneuvers at speeds from 20 to 45 mph to get a feel for the method. Officers also are trained to first consider whether the suspect's actions are an immediate threat to the public and then other factors, including road conditions, weather, and pedestrian and car traffic before executing the PIT.