PIT maneuver
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The PIT maneuver (precision immobilization technique<ref name=":0">Raviv, Shaun, and John Sullivan, "Police driving maneuver used to end chases has killed 30 people since 2016, The Post finds" Template:Webarchive, Washington Post, August 24, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-24.</ref>), also known as TVI (tactical vehicle intervention or tactical vehicle interception), is a law enforcement pursuit tactic in which a pursuing (first) vehicle forces a pursued (second) vehicle to turn sideways abruptly by striking the second vehicle at an angle near its rear, causing it to spin out and come to an unplanned stop. The technique was developed in the late 1980s by BSR Inc., a law enforcement training center in West Virginia, and was first used by the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia, United States, in 1988.<ref name="GACP1">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Some law enforcement agencies use the PIT maneuver regularly to end vehicle pursuits; some use it only under certain conditions, and others avoid its use altogether for safety reasons.<ref name="GACP1" />
Procedure
A police vehicle initiates a PIT maneuver by pulling alongside the fleeing vehicle so that the portion of the pursuer's vehicle forward of its front wheels is aligned with the portion of the target vehicle behind its back wheels. The pursuer then steers sharply into the target vehicle, with some acceleration to ensure its bumper does not slide off the target, causing the driver to lose control of the target vehicle, sending it off the road or into a barrier and eventually to a stop.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Forces of motion tend to cause the fleeing vehicle to spin. At high speeds, the sudden lateral movement can lead to rollover collisions.
History
The PIT originated in West Virginia during the late 1980s with a 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>Template:Cite 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, others, like the state of Illinois, consider "forcible stop techniques" to be "use of deadly force" if performed at speed (above 20 mph; 32 km/h).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Police pursuit policies in general — and the PIT maneuver specifically — are controversial because of risk of injury or death to both involved and uninvolved.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</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 regulations in place 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.Template:Citation needed
In recent years, the Arkansas State Police have performed at least two controversial PIT maneuvers. In June 2020, a pregnant woman, who was at the time searching for a place to pull over, was the target of a PIT maneuver. As part of a legal settlement with the driver of the car, 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>Template:Cite news</ref> Additionally, in September 2023, an Arkansas State Trooper resigned after performing a PIT maneuver on the wrong vehicle during a high-speed chase.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In March of 2025 one passenger died and three were injured after Arkansas State Police performed a PIT maneuver during a chase on the I-40. Police found firearms, promethazine and other illicit substances in the vehicle. Police charged the driver with first-degree murder for the passenger's death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In April 2024 in Newberry, Florida, four teenagers died during a police pursuit initiated by the Bradford County Sheriff's office. The teens, who were between 14 and 16 years old and attended Newberry High School, were killed after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper performed a PIT maneuver on the stolen SUV they were driving.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
On Dec. 4, 2018, police in South Fulton, Georgia, performed a PIT maneuver on a stolen Hyundai Sonata while passing a cluster of townhouses, spinning the car into a utility pole with power lines. The driver ran from the scene and evaded capture. However, the Hyundai hit and killed a 41-year-old man named Marcus McCrary who happened to be walking on the sidewalk there.<ref name=":0" />