We have statutes in many states against distracted driving, including texting while driving, talking on a cell phone, and other technological multi-tasking. So given the prevalence of in-car computers in patrol cars and how they are often used by an officer who is driving, we have to ask if the rules governing distracted driving apply to police officers as well as the public.
It's been my experience that the alley lights on police cruisers are among the most underutilized tools in law enforcement. That's a shame because proper use of alley lights can make you a more effective crime fighter.
Everyone is well aware that humans are visual creatures. It is far and away our most dominant sense and that is one of the reasons I get so frustrated that we have so many distracters in our modern patrol vehicles.
Code three is lights and siren, and man is it fun. You are lord of the road, racing here and there to accidents, crimes in progress, officer needs assistance, and whatever crisis needs a uniformed hero ASAP.
The agencies that test new model-year, pursuit-rated vehicles offer complementary evaluations and differing methodologies that give them equal weight among vehicle purchasers.