Overtake.
Pursuit of a motorist who does not yet realize that he is being pursued, in order to:
(1) 
Position the police vehicle so that audible and/or visual signals can effectively be communicated to the motorist; and/or
(2) 
Position the police vehicle so that the officer may more effectively observe the motorist, his vehicle, his passengers and/or his load.
Evader.
A driver who continues to drive his vehicle and fails to pull to the right and stop when he knows or should know of the audible and/or visual signals to do so directed to him by an officer, but who does not attempt to escape by driving recklessly and/or at an excessive speed.
High-Speed Pursuit (Vehicular Hot Pursuits).
Police vehicular pursuit of another vehicle at speeds which exceed the legal speed for nonemergency vehicles.
Reckless Evader.
A driver who, in order to escape or avoid apprehension by a police officer, drives his vehicle recklessly and/or at speeds which are so extreme under the conditions prevailing that his involvement in a collision is probable should he continue.
Roadblock.
Any method, restriction or obstruction used to prevent free passage of motor vehicles on a highway, in order to effect the apprehension of an actual or suspected violator in a motor vehicle.
Primary Pursuing Unit.
The police unit which initiates a pursuit or any unit which assumes control of the pursuit.
Probable Cause.
That total set of apparent facts and circumstances based on reasonable trustworthy information which would warrant a prudent person (in the position of and with the knowledge of the particular peace officer) to believe something, for example, that a particular person has committed some offense against the law.
(1981 Code of Ordinances Chapter 7, Section 20)
(a) 
An officer may be held liable for the consequences of his reckless disregard for the safety of others. An officer’s duty to avoid damage or injury to innocent third parties takes precedence over pursuit or emergency response. No officer shall engage in negligent or reckless actions, even in pursuit of actual or suspected violators or in response to emergencies, which may damage or injure innocent persons.
(b) 
Officers shall balance the need for pursuit and apprehension against the probability and severity of damage or injury. The officer shall consider the seriousness of the offense which the evader or reckless evader committed.
(1981 Code of Ordinances Chapter 7, Section 20)
(a) 
An officer operating a police vehicle shall not disregard stop signs or signals, exceed maximum speed limits or disregard regulations governing the specified direction of traffic or turning, unless he continuously sounds a siren (and continuously displays an emergency light system if his vehicle has such equipment) as a warning to others.
(b) 
An officer must drive with due regard for the safety of all persons and shall never operate any vehicle in reckless disregard for the safety of life and property.
(c) 
An officer engaged in overtaking shall not exceed the apparent or maximum speed limit by more than twenty (20) miles per hour unless such a rate would unreasonably extend the pursuit, which makes a higher speed necessary.
(d) 
An officer engaged in responding to a call for emergency service may not exceed the speed limit by more than twenty (20) miles per hour, unless a life-threatening situation exists and traffic conditions permit a higher speed without causing an unreasonable risk.
(1981 Code of Ordinances Chapter 7, Section 20)
(a) 
An officer may construct a blockade or barrier to divert traffic or to stop a reckless evader. In either event, an officer must deploy a reasonably effective advance warning system in order to alert motorists (including the reckless evader) of an approaching roadblock. Such deployment shall occur no later than at the time the roadblock or barrier becomes operative.
(b) 
Only if Section 9.2104 on the use of deadly force authorizes the use of deadly force, and only after all other reasonable means of apprehension have been exhausted, an officer may attempt to apprehend a reckless evader or violator (who is fleeing in a vehicle) by resort to the use of blockades or barriers.
(c) 
Prior to constructing a blockade or barrier to stop a reckless evader, an officer must receive permission and specific instructions on the type and placement of the blockade or barrier to be used from his chief of police or designated supervisor.
(d) 
Only when Section 9.2104 on the use of deadly force authorizes the use of deadly force, may an officer attempt to apprehend a reckless evader by ramming his vehicle into the fleeing car or by using one (1) or more police cars to contain the reckless evader and bring him to a halt.
(e) 
An officer shall only use his firearm in accordance with Section 9.2104 on the use of deadly force. An officer positioned at a roadblock may have firearms ready for use.
(f) 
At no time shall an officer or other person position himself behind the blockade or barrier in a possible direct line of the oncoming reckless evader.
(1981 Code of Ordinances Chapter 7, Section 20)
(a) 
An officer shall not engage in high-speed pursuit whenever it reasonably appears that the potential harm to persons or property arising from such pursuit outweighs the potential harm threatened by the escaping offender. In the absence of an outweighing danger to persons or property, a peace officer shall not engage in high-speed pursuit whenever it reasonably appears that apprehension of the escaping offender by other means is likely. In determining whether to engage in pursuit, an officer may consider all relevant factors including:
(1) 
Nature of the offense committed by the offender;
(2) 
Method of the offender’s escape;
(3) 
Extent to which the offender may be identified;
(4) 
Knowledge of the offender’s possible destination or direction of movement;
(5) 
Present ability of other officers to apprehend the offender;
(6) 
Knowledge of previous activities of the offender;
(7) 
Likelihood that the offender may use weapons or forcibly resist apprehension; and
(8) 
Potential for physical harm to persons or property resulting from high-speed pursuit of the offender.
(b) 
An officer shall not engage in high-speed pursuit to arrest someone for any misdemeanor except:
(1) 
A breach of the peace which just occurred in the presence of that officer and will likely reoccur; or
(2) 
A violation of the state highway and vehicle laws.
(c) 
An officer engaged in high-speed pursuit need not maintain a constant view of the escaping offender, but the pursuit must be constant and continuous and without unreasonable or extraneous delays. If the officer engages in activities unrelated to the pursuit, which remove him from the pursuit, he may not renew the pursuit.
(d) 
An officer shall notify his supervisor or dispatcher upon engaging in any high-speed pursuit, unless to do so would reasonably delay the initiation of such pursuit.
(e) 
When an officer engaged in a high-speed pursuit finds that the offender will flee beyond the boundary of the officer’s local jurisdiction or onto a government reservation, he shall notify his supervisor or dispatcher and request him to notify officers of the jurisdiction into which the pursuit will lead.
(f) 
A peace officer in high-speed pursuit may enter the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico or Oklahoma, continue in pursuit and arrest a person on the following grounds:
(1) 
The person committed a felony in Texas in the presence of the officer; or
(2) 
The officer knows or has probable cause to believe that a felony has been committed in the State of Texas and knows or has probable cause to believe that such person committed it.
(1981 Code of Ordinances Chapter 7, Section 20)
(a) 
When not coordinated by a dispatcher or supervisor, the officer in the primary pursuing unit of a high speed pursuit shall direct the pursuit by both his unit and others.
(b) 
The officer in the primary pursuing unit of a high speed pursuit may request all units and the base station to observe radio silence whenever necessary to the proper conduct of the pursuit. The base station operator will immediately repeat that request to all units on the frequency used by the primary pursuing unit. Thereafter, until termination of the high-speed pursuit, only messages involving that high-speed pursuit or emergency radio traffic shall be transmitted.
(c) 
Only the primary pursuing unit shall engage in high-speed pursuit, unless a supervisor or dispatcher authorizes additional units to engage in the pursuit.
(d) 
Intercepting units shall never intersect the path of an oncoming high-speed vehicle. No assisting unit shall move toward the route of a high-speed pursuit without notifying the pursuing officer or the dispatcher of that movement.
(e) 
Where the primary pursuing unit is a motorcycle unit, that unit shall abandon a high-speed pursuit when a four-wheeled unit has joined the pursuit and can follow the violator.
(f) 
When an air unit establishes visual contact with the violator’s vehicle, the ground units shall be notified of that contact. After such notification, the air unit shall direct the movement of the primary pursuing unit and all other ground units.
(g) 
Upon encountering heavy traffic or densely populated areas, each ground unit should abandon its high-speed pursuit of a reckless evader when all of the following factors exist:
(1) 
The reckless evader’s current violation, the incident which prompted the pursuit, involved only a traffic offense; and
(2) 
The reckless evader has not committed any felony during the pursuit; and
(3) 
The officer has no reason to believe that the reckless evader is attempting to escape from apprehension for any felony; and
(4) 
The officer has reason to believe that the evader will discontinue his reckless and high-speed vehicle operation if the pursuit is abandoned.
(h) 
Except when directed otherwise by a supervising officer, the primary pursuing unit of a high-speed pursuit may at any time abandon that pursuit in the interest of safety; that unit and/or the base station shall immediately communicate that decision to all other units involved. Upon receiving such communication, all units shall abandon that high-speed pursuit.
(1981 Code of Ordinances Chapter 7, Section 20)
(a) 
An officer shall use emergency warning equipment in responding to calls for service only when specifically authorized to do so by the officer or dispatcher assigning him to the call.
(b) 
Any officer acting as a radio dispatcher or in any other way assigning a police officer in a vehicle to respond to a call for service shall, in addition to providing all other pertinent information, designate the response code which the assigned officer must use.
(c) 
Responses shall be designated as follows:
(1) 
Non-Emergency Calls -
Officer must respond to the call without using emergency equipment or procedures.
(2) 
Emergency Calls -
Officer must respond to the call immediately by proceeding directly to the call location as quickly as responsibly possible while utilizing emergency warning equipment and obeying traffic regulations.
(d) 
Emergency calls may only be designated but are not required, for the following categories:
(1) 
Officers in trouble;
(2) 
Felony in progress;
(3) 
Assault involving a weapon in progress;
(4) 
Accident, fire or other calls which may jeopardize human life; and
(5) 
Others as the chief of police may provide.
(e) 
A field supervisory officer may override the provisions of this section and order an officer to use a different response call designation that here indicated, if he deems it necessary under the circumstances.
(f) 
A responding officer who changes the response call designation shall immediately notify the radio dispatcher or field supervisory officer. The responding officer shall state his reasons for changing the response designation.
(1981 Code of Ordinances Chapter 7, Section 20)