WWPD practices PIT maneuvers

RICHLAND, Washington – The Walla Walla Police Department (WWPD) attended a precision immobilization technique, better known as PIT maneuver training at the Hanford Patrol Training Academy’s emergency vehicle operator course in Richland, Washington on Thursday. A PIT maneuver is a technique used by law enforcement to turn a fleeing vehicle 180 degrees and stop it so that pursuing officers can then entrap the fleeing vehicle by parking on its front and rear bumper. That second part is known as the PIN maneuver.

Walla Walla police, along with officers from the Richland Police and Kennewick Police departments along with those from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office practiced taking turns utilizing the PIT and PIN maneuvers in specially-equipped patrol cars with reinforced bumpers. The reinforced bumpers on WWPD’s vehicles were designed and built by Jill Lopez, a student at Walla Walla Community College. WWPD Patrol Officer Rich Westphal says their work has continued to hold up after 400 PIT maneuvers between the two specially equipped patrol cars.

According to Westphal, both WWPD and College Place police now have this new tool to use at their disposal.

“We are all now certified to PIT,” Westphal said. “That happened about two weeks ago. So we are now implementing it, we now have it in our policy. Just because we have PIT, it’s not like we’re going to be out pitting someone for speeding. It has to be a serious offense, a serious assault, a DUI. It’s just another tool for us to use.”

Every new officer that comes into WWPD will be required to complete PIT certification.

Westphal and other officers in attendance mentioned that new technologies in automobiles, namely electronic stability control (ESC), have made executing the PIT maneuver harder because the technology applies brakes to opposite wheels to help the vehicle maintain control.

“It’s like pushing a car (without ESC) on butter versus pushing a car on sandpaper.” said Westphal.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mandated that all new passenger vehicles starting in 2012 have ESC. Westphal says that’s why training with the newer model Ford Explorers that WWPD utilizes is extremely useful.

Westphal said it’s not just the physical PIT maneuver that’s part of the training, it’s when to properly use it.

“We’re looking at what’s out ahead of us,” he said. “In a mile from here are we coming up on a school zone? Is it safer here? Are there pedestrians? Are there cars? Is it wide enough? What speeds are we going at? The suspect themselves also plays a factor on when to execute the maneuver. This is for community safety when someone’s getting away and we need to stop them right now.” 

MYCB photo of WWPD vehicle executing PIT maneuver

Editor’s note: Read about Walla Walla Community College’s Jill Lopez who designed and built the special bumpers for PIT maneuvers at https://elkhornmediagroup.com/wwcc-welding-student-builds-pit-maneuver-bumpers-for-wwpd-training-vehicles/.

This story has been corrected to show the training took place at the Hanford Patrol Training Academy.

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