PIT maneuver

The PIT maneuver is a method 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" has a number of different meanings, depending on the agency using it or school teaching it. The most common meanings are Precision Immobilization Technique, Pursuit Intervention Technique, Parallel Immobilization Technique, and Precision Intervention Tactic. In each case, the meaning is clear, no matter how the acronym is explained. Other names for the same maneuver are Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI), "tactical ramming," "legal intervention" and fishtailing. This method is mostly used to end a car chase more safely. Other methods of terminating a pursuit include TPAC and the use of Spikes (also known by various trade names such as Stop Sticks or Stinger).

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 Bump & Run technique used in Auto Racing is strongly related to the Police PIT maneuver and may predate it.

The first law enforcement agency to teach PIT as a technique to halt fleeing vehicles in Virginia was the Fairfax County Police Department, 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.

Procedure

How to perform the PIT maneuver

Damage from a PIT maneuver on a Crown Victoria

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.

Avoidance maneuvers

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. Moving forward out of position or by staying squarely in front of the rear vehicle will keep the lead vehicle under safe control. Coming to a complete stop will, of course, force the rear vehicle to overshoot the positioning required. Advanced Defensive Driving Courses taught to VIP protection personnel would go further with hands on experience in teaching J-turns as a way of controlling the spinout resulting from a successful PIT maneuver being performed. All this assumes that the road surface is in optimal condition; a wet road surface would hinder all attempts at recovery.

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.

TPAC

TPAC is a UK term, Tactical Pursuit And Containment, for managing and terminating police pursuits. TPAC embodies several methods of stopping bandit vehicles, but the abbreviation is normally used to refer to the "box and stop" method. TPAC is most effective on separated carriageways (such as Motorways) where the path of the bandit is limited. It is not suited to roads with frequent intersections, those with two-way traffic on a single carriageway, or highways where the bandit may escape by means of a U-turn across the median strip.

Once a bandit is contained on a motorway, a rolling block is initiated ahead of the pursuit. When the pursuit reaches the slowed traffic, the bandit can either attempt to pass the traffic or stay behind it. If the bandit 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 bandit is surrounded and occupants detained. If the bandit 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 bandit, and then 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 bandit vehicle. The most commonly used UK Police vehicle for TPAC (as of 2007) seems to be the Volvo T-5 V70 Estate, which has found widespread acceptance throughout UK Police forces as a traffic policing vehicle.

See also

• Spike strip

External links

• Photos of PIT training
• Video footage of PIT used four times in real chase (at Youtube)