This post is the third in a multi-part series on police vehicular pursuit in South Carolina. If you missed a prior installment, you can read Part 1 here: The Problem with Police Pursuits and Part 2 here: North Charleston Police Pursuit Procedures.
The South Carolina legislature has recognized the problems with inconsistent or inadequate policies for police pursuits in the state. In 2023, legislation was introduced that would have required the South Carolina Law Enforcement Training Council to establish policies, procedures, and training courses regarding when a law enforcement officer could engage in vehicular pursuit. Unfortunately, that bill never made it out of committee.
Currently, the state Criminal Justice Academy doesn’t provide any training on police pursuit regulations or procedures, since they vary by department throughout the state. However, a few years ago the Greenville News reported that some departments appeared to believe that their officers were receiving that training at the Academy. The confusion may stem from the fact that the Academy does provide precision driver training. However, that does not include any instruction on what is and is not permitted in terms of vehicular pursuit, how to assess whether high speed pursuit is appropriate, or procedures for securing approval to continue a chase.
S. 8 Could Mandate Creation of Consistent Policies and Procedures
An identical piece of legislation (S. 8) was introduced in 2025 by the original bill’s sponsor, Senator Darrell Jackson. On February 21, 2025, the bill was referred to a subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary. Though no further action has been taken, the bill could still move forward in the second half of the legislative session.
What Would S. 8 Require for Police Pursuits?
The bill requires the training council to develop standards and procedures, so the bill doesn’t fully address all of the details. However, the legislation would require the Council to establish policies, procedures and training courses that limited vehicular pursuit to circumstances in which one of the following was true:
- The officer had probable cause to believe that a person in the vehicle had committed or was in the process of committing:
- A violent crime, or
- A sex offense, or
- An escape from a detention or correctional facility, or
- The officer has reasonable suspicion that a person in the vehicle has committed or is committing an offense involving operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, alcohol or other intoxicating substances, or
- The pursuit is necessary for the purpose of identifying and apprehending a person, or
- The driver poses an imminent threat to the safety of others, and the safety risks of failure to apprehend or identify the driver outweigh the risks of pursuit
The policies and procedures would also be required to include decision as to how the officer obtains authorization to continue the pursuit and the standards supervising officers must apply in determining whether to authorize continued pursuit.
Creative Alternatives to Police Chases
Separately, several Representatives sponsored a joint resolution (H. 3923) to create a study committee to consider a particular alternative to police chases. The “High Speed Pursuit Alternative Study Committee” would be charged with examining the workability of equipping South Carolina Highway Patrol vehicles with launchers that fire GPS tracking devices that would attach to a suspect’s vehicle. The device would allow police to track the location of the vehicle they were pursuing without engaging in a high-speed chase.
This measure was referred to the House Committee on Judiciary in February and has not seen further activity.
We’ll be tracking both pieces of legislation and providing updates after the legislature comes back into session in January.
Read part ___ here.
The Hartman Law Firm Helps People Injured in Motor Vehicle Accidents
Whether you’ve been injured in a police chase or another type of motor vehicle accident, your best next step is to talk to an experienced Charleston car accident lawyer. To schedule a free consultation with attorney Frank Hartman, call 843-300-7600 right now, or fill out our contact form.