CHANGING HOT PURSUIT POLICY - AN EMPIRICAL-ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT ON PURSUIT BEHAVIOR

This article uses ARIMA and Tobit analysis to examine the impact on of ficer behavior of changes in a policy governing ''hot'' pursuits of fl eeing suspects. Using a 2-year time series, aggregated by week, we cal culated the impact on pursuit behavior of two changes in pursuit polic y: a requirement that reports be submitted regarding each pursuit and a stipulation that pursuits could be conducted only under specified co nditions. Each policy change produced significant reductions in the nu mber of pursuits engaged in by officers in the department under study.