Unit 8: Law, Courts, and Procedure

Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement Driving

As a law enforcement officer you and your superiors face the possibility of being held civilly liable for actions you take while driving a police vehicle. As a law enforcement officer, you have the same legal responsibility to comply with motor vehicle laws as does every motorist. Too many officers misunderstand and expand on the exemptions from the law provided to police officers. Police officers can be convicted in court for speeding, failure to yield, and other offenses. Your effectiveness in performing your duties is significantly affected by your public image. Citizens see you most frequently when you drive by in your cruisers. Your driving choices and skills communicate professionalism, or lack thereof, and, too often, double standards. A good police officer understands the importance of civil liability and is knowledgeable about motor vehicle laws.

A police officer may not violate any motor vehicle law, except when responding to an emergency call, or when in the pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law or when responding to, but not upon returning from a fire alarm.