By Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D., BJS Statistician
In 2012, general purpose state and local law enforcement agencies conducted an estimated 68,000 vehicle pursuits (figure 1). Local police departments conducted most of these pursuits (about 40,000) followed by sheriffs’ offices (about 18,000) and state police and highway patrol agencies (about 10,000). During the year, 351 persons died as a result of pursuit-related crashes (not shown).
Pursuit counts are based on the 2013 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The survey included a nationally representative sample of general purpose state and local law enforcement agencies. Such agencies employed 92% of all full-time state and local law enforcement officers. The LEMAS survey excludes federal agencies and special jurisdiction agencies, such as campus police and park police. Data on pursuit-related fatalities are from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Department of Transportation
Read the full Special Report here: U.S. Department of Justice – Police Vehicle Pursuits, 2012-2013