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[[File:PIT_TVI_aniGIF_byCramYourSpam_PublicDomain_2024.gif|thumb|PIT maneuver diagram (animated GIF image)]]
<!-- [[Image:pit maneuver.svg|thumb|right|Outline of the stages of the PIT maneuver; the target is in front of the police car.]] -->▼
[[File:California_Highway_Patrol_ending_pursuit_with_PIT_on_I-80.jpg|thumb|[[California Highway Patrol]] cruisers using a PIT maneuver to disable a fleeing vehicle]]
The '''PIT maneuver''' ('''precision immobilization technique'''<ref name=":0">Raviv, Shaun, and John Sullivan, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/investigations/pit-maneuver-police-deaths/ "Police driving maneuver used to end chases has killed 30 people since 2016, The Post finds"], ''Washington Post'', August 24, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-24.</ref>), also known oras '''TVI''' ('''tactical vehicle intervention'''), is a law enforcement [[Car chase|pursuit]] tactic in which a pursuing vehicle forces a fleeinganother vehicle to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop.<ref name="GACP1">{{cite web |title=Law Enforcement Pursuits in Georgia: Review and Recommendations |url=https://gachiefs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Pursuit-Committee-Recommendations-Report.pdf |website=Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police |access-date=2021-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314133247/http://www.gachiefs.com/pdfs/Pursuit%20Committee%20Recommendations%20Report.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-14 |date=2006-08-08 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It was developed by BSR Inc. and first used by the [[Fairfax County Police Department]] in [[Virginia]], United States, in 1988.<ref name=GACP1 /> ▼
▲[[Image:pit maneuver.svg|thumb|right|Outline of the stages of the PIT maneuver; the target is in front of the police car.]]
[[File:Car chase ends via PIT maneuver in Marion County, Florida (1 April 2021).webm|thumb|Police chase in Florida ended after multiple PIT maneuver attempts]]
▲The '''PIT maneuver''' ('''precision immobilization technique'''<ref name=":0">Raviv, Shaun, and John Sullivan, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/investigations/pit-maneuver-police-deaths/ "Police driving maneuver used to end chases has killed 30 people since 2016, The Post finds"], ''Washington Post'', August 24, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-24.</ref>) or '''TVI''' ('''tactical vehicle intervention''') is a [[Car chase|pursuit]] tactic in which a pursuing vehicle forces a fleeing vehicle to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop.<ref name="GACP1">{{cite web |title=Law Enforcement Pursuits in Georgia: Review and Recommendations |url=https://gachiefs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Pursuit-Committee-Recommendations-Report.pdf |website=Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police |access-date=2021-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314133247/http://www.gachiefs.com/pdfs/Pursuit%20Committee%20Recommendations%20Report.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-14 |date=2006-08-08 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It was developed by BSR Inc. and first used by the [[Fairfax County Police Department]] in [[Virginia]], United States, in 1988.<ref name=GACP1 />
 
== Procedure ==▼
Other interpretations of the acronym "PIT" include '''pursuit immobilization technique''', '''pursuit intervention technique''', parallel immobilization technique, precision intervention tactic, and push into traffic. The technique is also known as '''tactical ramming''', legal intervention, and [[fishtailing]].
The PIT maneuver 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 steers into the target. The pursuer must also accelerate (or its bumper will slide off the target vehicle).<ref>{{cite web | last = Mascarenas | first = David |author2=G. Park |author3=C. Farrar | title = Escape and Evade Policies for High-Speed, Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles | publisher = Los Alamos National Security | date = 2011-11-27 | url = http://www.lanl.gov/science/ldrd/ldrdday/posters/Mascarenas.pdf }}</ref> As soon[[List asof themoments fleeingof vehicle'sinertia|Forces rearof tiresmotion]] lose traction and starttend to skid,swing the pursuerfleeing continues tovehicle turnaround in thea samesweeping directionarc until clear of the target.its Thisposition is more of a committed lane change than an actual turn. The target will turn in the opposite directionreversed, in front of the pursuer, and will spin out. The PIT may be done from either side, but consideration must be given to where both cars will end up. Typically, another police car will tail the PIT unit to proceed with the arrest, while the PIT unit recovers its ownfront controlbumper andsuddenly completely stopsfacing the carrear. The PIT does not immediately immobilize the suspect vehicle; to preventAt furtherhigh flightspeeds, twosuch policesudden carslateral needmovement tocan pincause the[[Vehicle suspectrollover|rollover]] between them, front and rearcollisions.▼
 
The technique is used by law enforcement officers to bring car chases to a conclusion. Other methods of stopping a fugitive vehicle include the use of [[spike strips]], or the use of [[#TPAC|tactical pursuit and containment]] (see below).
 
==History==
The PIT originated in [[West Virginia]] during the late 1980s towith halta goal of halting fleeing vehicles as "tactical vehicle interception (T.V.I.)"." The first U.S. law enforcement agency to teach PIT was the [[Fairfax County Police Department]] in [[Virginia]], which modified the technique's parameters for initiation and execution in police tactics.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Townsend, Eric J. S. |url=http://www.policedriving.com/article57.htm |title=Police End Car Chases with a Spin |work=[[News & Record]] |date=2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120011236/http://www.policedriving.com/article57.htm |archive-date=20 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Terry Pearson and Joseph McDowell were the first law enforcement officers to incorporate the technique into officer training. Terry Pearson named it the "Precision Immobilization Technique" or P.I.T.▼
The PIT maneuver was adapted from the [[bump and run (auto racing)|bump and run]] technique used in [[stock car racing]], where a driver would bump a competitor in the rear bumper to cause the other car to lose traction and swerve away from the racing line. The PIT maneuver differs from the bump and run in that the car is bumped from the side near a rear wheel, causing the vehicle in front to spin out. It is illegal to perform this maneuver intentionally in stock car racing because it is very dangerous. The high speed involved in auto racing makes it much easier for drivers to take out another car with a less substantial bump than at lower speeds. When employing the PIT maneuver, the speed of the two cars involved will determine how far the car will travel once it is bumped. Partially for this reason, the higher the speed, the more unpredictable and dangerous the PIT maneuver becomes. This is just one of the very important factors a police officer must consider before implementing the PIT maneuver.
 
== Controversy ==▼
▲The PIT originated in [[West Virginia]] during the late 1980s to halt fleeing vehicles as "tactical vehicle interception (T.V.I.)." The first U.S. law enforcement agency to teach PIT was the [[Fairfax County Police Department]] in [[Virginia]], which modified the technique's parameters for initiation and execution in police tactics.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Townsend, Eric J. S. |url=http://www.policedriving.com/article57.htm |title=Police End Car Chases with a Spin |work=[[News & Record]] |date=2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120011236/http://www.policedriving.com/article57.htm |archive-date=20 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Terry Pearson and Joseph McDowell were the first law enforcement officers to incorporate the technique into officer training. Terry Pearson named it the "Precision Immobilization Technique" or P.I.T.
While some police departments in the [[United States]] consider the PIT maneuver as an intermediate force option that can end a pursuit, others, like the state of Illinois, consider "forcible stop techniques" to be "use of deadly force" if performed at high speeds (above 20 mph).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Police Pursuit Guidelines |url=https://www.ptb.illinois.gov/media/1448/policepursuitguidelines.pdf |website=Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board}}</ref>
 
While some police departments in the [[United States]] consider the PIT maneuver as an intermediate force option that can end a pursuit, policePolice pursuit policies in general — and the PIT maneuver specifically — are controversial because of therisk likelihoodof thatinjury innocentor motoristsdeath andto passengersboth caninvolved be injured orand killeduninvolved.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Lauer |first=Claudia |date=September 19, 2023 |title=New report recommends limiting police pursuits to violent crimes after rise in fatalities |url=https://apnews.com/article/police-vehicle-chase-pursuit-deaths-policy-ed2fe37280cec57e4377491348cc661d |website=Associated Press}}</ref> The PIT maneuver has been linked to at least 30 fatalities between 2016 and 2020.<ref name=":0" /> Of those fatalities, 18 occurred when officers attempted to stop motorists for minor traffic violations.<ref name=":0" /> Many police departments have placed regulations to limit the potential risks of the PIT maneuver and limit its use to serious situations, including pursuit of drivers with outstanding warrants or who are considered likely to be dangerous for other reasons.{{cn|date=March 2024}}▼
A publication of the United States [[National Institute of Justice]] wrote in 1996:
<blockquote>Known initially as "tactical ramming" or "legal intervention", this maneuver was more fully developed and popularized more than a decade ago by BSR Inc., the Summit Point, West Virginia, advanced driver training center, as tactical vehicle interception (TVI), a formal training technique for law enforcement.<ref name=GACP1 /></blockquote>
 
In Septemberrecent 2023years, an Arkansas State TrooperPolice resignedhave afterat heleast twice performed acontroversial PIT maneuvermaneuvers. onA thepregnant wrongwoman vehiclewho duringwas asearching high-speedfor chase.<ref>{{Citea newsplace |last=Smithto |first=Billpull |date=Septemberover 19,was 2023the |title=Arkansastarget trooperof retires after performinga PIT maneuver onin wrongJune car |url=https://thehill2020.com/homenews/state-watch/4210935-arkansas-trooper-retires-after-performing-pit-maneuver-on-wrong-car/#:~:text=(KARK)%20%E2%80%93%20Officials%20with%20Arkansas,Francis%20County. |url-status=live |work=The Hill}}</ref> As part of a legal settlement with the driver of the car that was wrongly targeted (and who was pregnant at the time of the crash), the Arkansas State Police agreed to improve training and restrict the use of the PIT maneuver and use it only in cases to “protect a third person or an officer from imminent death or serious physical injury.”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Battles |first=Miriam |date=November 19, 2021 |title=Arkansas State Police settles PIT maneuver lawsuit which injured pregnant woman |url=https://www.kark.com/news/working4you/arkansas-state-police-settle-pit-maneuver-lawsuit-which-injured-pregnant-woman/ |url-status=live |work=KARK News}}</ref>▼
▲== Controversy ==
▲While some police departments in the [[United States]] consider the PIT maneuver as an intermediate force option that can end a pursuit, police pursuit policies in general — and the PIT maneuver specifically — are controversial because of the likelihood that innocent motorists and passengers can be injured or killed.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Lauer |first=Claudia |date=September 19, 2023 |title=New report recommends limiting police pursuits to violent crimes after rise in fatalities |url=https://apnews.com/article/police-vehicle-chase-pursuit-deaths-policy-ed2fe37280cec57e4377491348cc661d |website=Associated Press}}</ref> The PIT maneuver has been linked to at least 30 fatalities between 2016 and 2020.<ref name=":0" /> Of those fatalities, 18 occurred when officers attempted to stop motorists for minor traffic violations.<ref name=":0" />
 
In September 2023, an Arkansas State Trooper resigned after he performed a PIT maneuver on the wrong vehicle during a high-speed chase.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Bill |date=September 19, 2023 |title=Arkansas trooper retires after performing PIT maneuver on wrong car |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4210935-arkansas-trooper-retires-after-performing-pit-maneuver-on-wrong-car/#:~:text=(KARK)%20%E2%80%93%20Officials%20with%20Arkansas,Francis%20County. |work=The Hill}}</ref>
Ten of the 30 killed were passengers in the fleeing vehicles; four were bystanders or the victim of a crime.
 
A September 2023 report by the Police Executive Research Forum advised that hundreds of fatalities occur as a result of police chases each year and that these chases should be rare because the danger to suspects, officers and bystanders often outweighs the immediate need to take someone into custody.<ref name=":1" /> A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that there were 455 police pursuit fatalities in 2020, the highest since at least 2007 when there were 372 fatalities.<ref name=":1" />
 
▲In September 2023, an Arkansas State Trooper resigned after he performed a PIT maneuver on the wrong vehicle during a high-speed chase.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Bill |date=September 19, 2023 |title=Arkansas trooper retires after performing PIT maneuver on wrong car |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4210935-arkansas-trooper-retires-after-performing-pit-maneuver-on-wrong-car/#:~:text=(KARK)%20%E2%80%93%20Officials%20with%20Arkansas,Francis%20County. |url-status=live |work=The Hill}}</ref> As part of a legal settlement with the driver of the car that was wrongly targeted (and who was pregnant at the time of the crash), the Arkansas State Police agreed to improve training and restrict the use of the PIT maneuver and use it only in cases to “protect a third person or an officer from imminent death or serious physical injury.”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Battles |first=Miriam |date=November 19, 2021 |title=Arkansas State Police settles PIT maneuver lawsuit which injured pregnant woman |url=https://www.kark.com/news/working4you/arkansas-state-police-settle-pit-maneuver-lawsuit-which-injured-pregnant-woman/ |url-status=live |work=KARK News}}</ref>
 
▲== 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. The pursuer must also accelerate or its bumper will slide off the target vehicle.<ref>{{cite web | last = Mascarenas | first = David |author2=G. Park |author3=C. Farrar | title = Escape and Evade Policies for High-Speed, Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles | publisher = Los Alamos National Security | date = 2011-11-27 | url = http://www.lanl.gov/science/ldrd/ldrdday/posters/Mascarenas.pdf }}</ref> As soon as the fleeing vehicle's rear tires lose traction and start to skid, the pursuer continues to turn in the same direction until clear of the target. This is more of a committed lane change than an actual turn. The target will turn in the opposite direction, in front of the pursuer, and will spin out. The PIT may be done from either side, but consideration must be given to where both cars will end up. Typically, another police car will tail the PIT unit to proceed with the arrest, while the PIT unit recovers its own control and completely stops the car. The PIT does not immediately immobilize the suspect vehicle; to prevent further flight, two police cars need to pin the suspect between them, front and rear.
 
==Avoidance maneuvers==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2022}}
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 loss of control of the targeted vehicle. By moving forward out of position, or by staying squarely in front of the PIT unit, the lead vehicle can disallow the PIT unit from gaining proper positioning to conduct the maneuver. Alternatively, rapid deceleration will, of course, force the PIT unit to overshoot the required positioning.
 
== Limitations ==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2022}}
The PIT is not applicable in every situation, and many factors affect the usefulness of the technique. Many of these factors relate to safety concerns: typical police regulations in some countries recommend that an officer not attempt the PIT at speeds greater than {{convert|35|mph|km/h|round=5}}, and requires careful choice of location, considering all possible effects on other traffic vehicles and pedestrians. Because of the police department's potential liability for the injury or death of 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, a minimum of 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.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}}
 
At times a PIT is required to be completed by a single officer/vehicle in order to preserve life or to protect civilians or other police officers from the risk of significant harm or death. Officers completing this PIT should have experience in pursuit driving and it is not necessary that any PIT training has been completed.
 
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 [[van]]s or [[SUV]]s. High center of gravity vehicles frequently roll over. It cannot be safely used on motorcycles at any speed.
 
At speeds below 35 MPH, the PIT maneuver can be used on a fleeing vehicle, if the legal parameters would justify "less than lethal force" against the driver. At speeds greater than 35 MPH, the technique still works, but given that kinetic energy (the key injury-severity determinant) increases with speed squared, the PIT maneuver is considered potentially lethal and normally would only be used if lethal force is justified against all occupants (and when no risk to bystanders nor other vehicles is foreseeable). The tactic is best used when the driver is on surface streets and cornering. The aforementioned reality that kinetic energy quadruples with every doubling in speed (and increases nine-fold when speed is tripled) also means that a high-speed motorist who is allowed to escape could kill innocent people.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} With this in mind, the PIT maneuver can sometimes be justified for a traffic offense. However, because unwilling or innocent passengers may be present in the car, there is an inherent difficulty in justifying the use of PITs.
Some people suggest that due to the electronic control systems on many modern vehicles, the policies of using PIT maneuvers might need to be reconsidered.<ref>Zhou et al.[http://jianbolu.tripod.com/paper/DSCC2008-2183.pdf Jing Zhou, Jianbo Lu, and Huei Peng, "Vehicle Dynamics In Response to The Maneuver of Precision Immobilization Technique," Proceedings of ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, 2008] provides a study for vehicles equipped with Electronic Stability Controls (ESC) in response to PIT maneuvers.</ref>
 
== TPAC ==
'''Tactical Pursuit And Containment''' (TPAC) is a term used by police in the [[United Kingdom]], and describes training for managing and terminating police pursuits. TPAC embodies several methods of stopping fleeing vehicles, including [[rolling roadblock]]s, use of [[spike strip]]s, and the "[[box and stop]]" containment method. TPAC is most effective on separated carriageways (such as [[motorways]]) where the path of the suspect is limited. It is not suited to roads with frequent cross-roads, those with two-way traffic on a single carriageway, or highways where the suspect may escape by means of a U-turn across the median strip.
 
Once a fleeing driver is contained on a motorway, a rolling block is initiated ahead of the pursuit. When the pursuit reaches the slowed traffic, the suspect can either attempt to pass the traffic or stay behind it. If the suspect chooses to stay behind the traffic, communication between the pursuing vehicles and the blocking vehicle(s) will lead to the block coming to a standstill, and the vehicle is surrounded and occupants detained. If the fleeing driver chooses to pass the traffic, usually on the hard shoulder, the pursuing vehicles follow it. Once past the traffic, the police vehicles can box in the suspect's vehicle and bring it to a controlled stop through coordinated braking, utilizing the sterile area in front of the blocking vehicle(s) to do so without endangering other road users.
 
In the UK, TPAC is specialist training given to advanced police drivers. As with the PIT technique, consideration has to be given to the size, weight and center of gravity of the fleeing vehicle.
 
British police are comfortable with the TPAC, as fleeing drivers are usually considered to be unarmed, and driving beside or in front of them is not a hazard. Police in the US assume the driver is armed and prefer the PIT maneuver, as it is done from behind the suspect vehicle.{{Citation needed|date=July 2012}}
 
The typical PIT, seen in North America, can be utilized by trained police officers in the UK, typically on [[Road policing unit|roads policing]] or [[Armed response vehicle|armed response units]]. Rather than being referred to as a PIT, it simply forms part of 'tactical contact'.
 
==References==
{{Reflist}}
 
== External links ==
* [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35663111 "California police use special tactic to end car chase"]—[[BBC News]]
* [https://www.newsweek.com/pit-maneuver-police-arkansas-nicole-harper-rodney-dunn-1599300 "What Is a PIT Maneuver? Nicole Harper Incident Throws Spotlight on Police Tactic"]—[[Newsweek]]
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pit Maneuver}}
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