Police pursuits, often receiving a lot of media attention, have become a topic of concern and priority for both law enforcement and the communities they serve. They often come with high risks for the well-being of community members and for both the police officers involved in the chase as well as for the fleeing suspects. In this brief, we summarize what is known about police pursuits, from both legal decisions and criminological research. We then discuss the impact of this research on police pursuit policy, court decisions, and media reports. We offer suggestions about the need for more development and use of research, and the challenges for research to be integrated into police policies, training, supervision and accountability systems.

The field of police vehicular pursuits is replete with complex, often conflicting, legal issues. The consequences of negligence can have far- reaching implications for law enforcement agencies as well as individuals. While this book is not an indepth legal analysis of pursuit ramifications, it provides discriminating readers with the most up-to-date guide to understanding the many legal intricacies involved with police pursuits. The text provides comprehensive examination of legal aspects underlying police department pursuits and policy considerations; exploration of liability and negligence, including municipal liability, training, breach of duty, and deliberate indifference; state tort law, including intentional tort, public duty, contributing negligence, assumption of risk, and sudden peril; federal liability law pertaining to police vehicular pursuits; the use of force involved in pursuits; and considerations of a national pursuit policy. This timely book is an exceptional resource for professionals and students of criminal justice and law enforcement in helping to understand the many intricate concepts in vehicular pursuit currently facing administrators and patrol officer in the field.

The lawyers and legal commentators who contribute to We Dissent unanimously agree that during Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s nineteen-year tenure, the Supreme Court failed to adequately protect civil liberties and civil rights. This is evident in majority opinions written for numerous cases heard by the Rehnquist Court, and eight of those cases are re-examined here, with contributors offering dissents to the Court’s decisions. The Supreme Court opinions criticized in We Dissent suggest that the Rehnquist Court placed the interests of government above the people, and as the dissents in this book demonstrate, the Court strayed far from our constitutional ideals when it abandoned its commitment to the protection of the individual rights of Americans. Each chapter focuses on a different case—ranging from torture to search and seizure, and from racial profiling to the freedom of political expression—with contributors summarizing the case and the decision, and then offering their own dissent to the majority opinion. For some cases featured in the book, the Court’s majority decisions were unanimous, so readers can see here for the first time what a dissent might have looked like. In other cases, contributors offer alternative dissents to the minority opinion, thereby widening the scope of opposition to key civil liberties decision made by the Rehnquist Court. Taken together, the dissents in this unique book address the pressing issue of Constitutional protection of individual freedom, and present a vision of constitutional law in the United States that differs considerably from the recent jurisprudence of the United States Supreme Court. Contributors: Michael Avery, Erwin Chemerinsky,Marjorie Cohn, Tracey Maclin, Eva Paterson, Jamin Raskin, David Rudovsky, Susan Kiyomi Serrano, and Abbe Smith.

The second edition of Policing: Continuity and Change effectively combines theory, research, policy, and practical experience. Strategies for policing in the United States have evolved rapidly in the last four decades. This concise introduction provides the necessary background to understand the challenges of policing, the innovations in the field, and the reforms shaping the profession. Discussions of recruitment, socialization, and organization delineate who the police are, what they do, and how the police culture affects officers. The authors highlight the proactive skills necessary for solving problems and for productive interactions with community members. They emphasize the need for policies and training regarding use of force. This vital, up-to-date overview explores the implications for policing as departments employ new technologies and respond to demands for accountability.