When are Wilmington police officers allowed to speed and activate their emergency lights?
When discussing road regulations, the average driver is familiar with the basic rules, such as speed limits, traffic signals, and lane etiquette. However, are the driving expectations for law enforcement personnel the same?
As emergency responders, on-duty police officers, both those patrolling and responding to calls, are governed by specific protocols.
Lt. Greg Willett, public information officer with Wilmington Police Department (WPD), provided insight into the following questions.
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Are officers required to use their emergency lights and sirens when responding to a call?
While the short answer is no, the longer answer is more nuanced.
Police officers can respond in emergency mode for any of the following, according to the City of Wilmington Police Department Policy Manual:
Traffic accidents with injuries.
Officer needs assistance for personal safety.
Any crime or hazard which endangers human life.
Calls involving injured persons where the extent of injury is unknown.
When directed by a patrol supervisor to respond using emergency equipment.
Most calls don't necessitate officers to respond in emergency mode, Willett said, but when they do, officers are expected to use both sirens and emergency lights. Though, this policy is discretionary.
In certain situations, law enforcement may opt to just briefly activate lights and sirens, or even just one or the other, as a precautionary safety measure when responding to specific calls.
What traffic laws are officers required to abide by and when?
Officers engaged in patrol duties who are not responding to calls for service or in pursuit of another driver are expected to adhere to the same traffic laws as all other drivers, Willett said.
When responding to calls for service, "emergency vehicles are allowed to exceed the posted speed (and) they are allowed to go through intersections even if they have a red light," Willett said. "However, that law does specify that that does not alleviate the civil liability on them."
Officers responding to calls for service should exercise due caution to avoid reasonably anticipated hazards before disregarding standard traffic laws, according to directive 5.02 section B of the department policy manual. Failure to do so, resulting in a collision, may lead to legal repercussions, Willett said.
"The key word here is reasonableness...what the reasonable officer would do," Willett said.
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What about WPD's blue lights policy?
In 2021, due to positive community feedback, a department policy mandating patrol officers to keep their blue cruise lights on was upheld. Blue cruise lights are small lights located on either side of the light bar atop a patrol vehicle.
This policy is still in effect, with officers using their blue cruise lights at all times during daylight hours, Willett said.
"That's done for visibility," Willett said.
Where can you report concerns regarding officer driving?
Citizens with concerns can reach out to the following contacts:
Non-emergency Dispatch: 910-452-6120
WPD Main Office: 910-343-3600
"We take those (reports) seriously," Willett said, adding that providing a vehicle number, the five-number identifier printed on WPD patrol vehicles, can help the department determine which officer was the driver of the vehicle.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Can Wilmington police officers speed when they're out patrolling?
