PIT maneuver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, Pursuit Intervention Technique, or Parallel Immobilization 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."
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[edit] History
The PIT was originally popularized in the 1970s by BSR Incorporated, an advanced driver training school in Summit Point, West Virginia. Tom Milner, a BSR co-owner at the time, brought the technique from Germany, where it was in use by the German Police. The technique was translated from a German book titled The Hunter and the Hunted. PIT gained popularity during the 1990s, and the technique was refined so as to reduce the violent ramming called for by earlier variations. A variation was already in use by the Secret Service since 1965 for VIP protection during motorcades.
The first large law enforcement agency to teach PIT as a technique to halt fleeing vehicles was the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia, which modified the parameters for initiating and executing the technique for police use. Terry Pearson and Joseph McDowell were the first law enforcement officers to incorporate the technique into training. Terry Pearson named it the "Precision Immobilization Technique" or P.I.T. 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.
[edit] Procedure
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.
Typically, another police car will tail to proceed with the arrest while the PIT unit recovers its control and completely stops the car.
[edit] Defense against the PIT
The PIT is almost impossible to resist once it has begun. While steering into the skid (away from the pursuing vehicle) will reduce its effect, the fact that the pursuing car is continuing to push the rear of the target sideways virtually ensures a spin-out. Accordingly, the most effective defense is to prevent the technique from being executed. If the pursuer is a police officer, department regulations and local law may forbid the use of PIT under certain circumstances, such as very high speeds or in crowded environments, so the target may try to create those circumstances. Also, the target vehicle can maneuver to block the pursuer from setting up the technique by outrunning the pursuer, staying squarely in front of the pursuer, or braking sharply so the pursuer overshoots the correct position. The latter maneuver has the additional advantage of positioning the target vehicle for a riposte against the erstwhile pursuer.
[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Legal opinions
In the United States, intentional contact between vehicles has been characterized as deadly force, though recent U.S. 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.
