Pursuits Archives - Blue Sheepdog

Safe Deployment of Spike Strips

Four law enforcement officers have been killed this year while trying to deploy spike strips (aka Stop Sticks) during a vehicle chase. We’ve talked about spike strips and police officer deaths previously, and have offered some suggestions on the safe deployment of the devices.

Dale Stockton of Law Officer magazine offers eight safety tips for spike strip deployment. One of his suggestions is one that I know I previously left out: practice.

As with any action we take in law enforcement, practice is second only to experience in producing the desired results. This holds true for courtroom testimony, witness interviews, handcuffing and using spike strips to terminate a pursuit.

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Spike Strips & More Officer Deaths

By Richard 2 Comments

We lost two more officers killed while deploying spike strips during the past few weeks. This makes a total of four officers this year who have been killed while trying to deploy tire deflation devices in a vehicular pursuit.

Spike strips, also known by the brand name Stop Sticks, are deployed by an officer standing on the side of a road in an attempt to deflate the tires of a fleeing suspect. The problem is the deploying officer is standing in front of a fleeing felon in a speeding car. Even if the suspect doesn’t purposely try to hit the deploying officer, the officer is still in danger should the car veer out of control while trying to avoid the strip.

As a guy who has been struck by a fleeing felon, I can speak from first hand experience that getting hit by a car is neither fun nor desirable.

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Are Spike Strips Killing Officers?

By Richard 3 Comments

Stopping a fleeing suspect has always been a dangerous proposition. Criminals fleeing the police pose a very real risk to citizens and officers alike. Getting them stopped as quickly and safely as possible is the goal, though there is no “sure fire” way to accomplish it.

It used to be that officers would set a roadblock, forcing the suspect to stop or crash into the parked cruisers. However, that was deemed a violation of the suspect’s Fourth Amendment protections. Now officers use different methods like the PIT maneuver or tools like Stop Sticks.

Tire deflation devices have been used successfully in numerous chases. Have they saved lives? Probably. But using a spike strip poses a huge hazard to the officer deploying them.

This year we have lost two LEOs who were killed while trying to deploy tire deflation devices: Sergeant Brian Dulle of the Warren County (OH) Sheriff’s Office and Officer Bryan Hebert of the Beaumont (TX) Police Department. In both cases, the officers were struck and killed by the fleeing vehicle.