KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Sunday, one person was injured and another passed away after a chase involving troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol on Norris Freeway. Now state leaders are investigating if the pursuit, and the actions of troopers in that pursuit, were justified.
According to THP policy, troopers must weigh whether the nature of a suspect's offense and the specific situation warrants the danger of a police chase.
"The member must weigh the need for immediate apprehension against the risk created to all others by the pursuit," THP policy says.
Troopers need to consider the safety of the public and the safety of troopers and the seriousness of the offense before taking off to catch a suspect. They must think about whether a suspect could present a danger to life, or if they could cause serious injury.
State policy also requires troopers to think about whether they would have opportunities in the future to arrest a suspect after a warrant is issued. They also need to think about whether roadblocks could be used to find someone, while also thinking about physical factors like the speed of the pursuit, the traffic volume, road safety conditions, the time of day, the nature of the read and the condition of the vehicles involved.
All that needs to cross their minds as a suspect presses the gas pedal, taking off down the road. Then, once troopers decide to chase after a suspect, they need to call supervisors.
Supervisors can choose when to end a pursuit and stop chasing someone. They can only end a chase if it becomes too dangerous to continue, and they are responsible for making sure troopers follow THP policies. It can also end if a person is injured and there are no police or medical personnel immediately able to give help.
Supervisors can also make the call to use alternate means to apprehend someone, such as tire deflation devices.
Whenever these are used, state policy requires in-car video systems to be activated. There also needs to be reasonable cause to believe that a suspect has committed the offense, justifying their arrest. Before using them, troopers need to think about where to put the device to cause the least amount of danger.
In special situations, when deadly force is justified by state law, they can use tire deflation devices and roadblocks for cars transporting hazardous materials, passenger buses, school buses transporting students or any two-wheel vehicle.
Troopers also need to be in a position where they would be safe after a vehicle crosses over a tire deflation device. They can only use patrol vehicles to stop vehicles as a last resort, and troopers can only shoot at suspects to protect themselves and other troopers.