Should Initiation of Police Vehicle Pursuits Be Based on the Objectively Reasonable Calculus?

Abstract

The methodology of this study was qualitative with a phenomenology approach. A questionnaire survey instrument was sent to all 67 Florida sheriffs seeking their opinions whether police vehicle pursuits should be considered a form of deadly force and whether initiation of police vehicle pursuits should be based upon the objectively reasonable calculus noted in the United States Supreme Court decision Graham v. Connor (1989). The survey instrument prompted participants to explain answers to some of the questions. Further, interviews were conducted with those sheriffs who volunteered to further explain their survey answers. The majority of sheriffs who participated in the study opined that police vehicle pursuits should not be considered deadly force, however, the majority of sheriffs surveyed and interviewed opined that vehicle pursuits are a form of force and should be initiated using the objectively reasonable calculus of force. Discrepancies were noted in the frequency and annual number of hours of vehicle pursuit training deputies received compared to lethal and less lethal training.