Can Cops Take Your Car for a Pursuit
Can police really commandeer your car in Canada?
Yes, they can, and your boat, too — Victoria Police did just that last year
We've all seen it in the movies.
A plainclothes cop leaps in front of a sedan, an outstretched hand bearing a shiny badge extended in front of him, forcing the vehicle to screech to a halt, its driver stunned behind the wheel.
"I need your car, now! Move! Police emergency!" screams the officer.
The driver hurriedly exits the car, or, if the movie is a comedy, scooches over to the passenger seat and screams for the next five minutes straight while the police officer drives the car at breakneck speeds chasing down the escaping criminal, likely crashing and totalling the borrowed vehicle, regardless of film genre.
That's the way it usually goes on the silver screen, but what if the scene played out through your actual car windshield? As in, what if a Canadian police officer tried to commandeer your vehicle for an emergency? Can police really commandeer your car in Canada?
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The short answer is yes. According to the Canada Criminal Code, Section 129, everyone who "omits, without reasonable excuse, to assist a public officer or peace officer in the execution of his duty in arresting a person or in preserving the peace, after having reasonable notice that he is required to do so… is guilty of an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or an offence punishable on summary conviction."
What does that mean? Basically, if they need your car, truck, or even boat, you'd better give them it or else face the wrath of the law.
"It would be very rare that the police would ever need to ask someone to use their vehicle, vessel or otherwise," Cpl. Chris Dovell, Media Relations at the West Shore RCMP in Victoria, B.C., told Driving in an email. But they recently did have to.
Last year, Victoria police actually had to use Section 129 of the Criminal Code when a distress call on Gorge Waterway had officers scrambling to make their way out on the water. According to the Times Colonist , Victoria police contacted marine agencies and commandeered civilian watercraft to get out to a woman stuck on a sinking boat.
So, if you find yourself in the rare situation where a Canadian police officer is demanding control of your vehicle, just know they have the legal right to do so, hand over the keys and get out. Your car (or boat) might just be a hero.
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Can Cops Take Your Car for a Pursuit
Source: https://driving.ca/features/feature-story/can-police-really-commandeer-your-car-in-canada
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