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KIRKSVILLE, MO & OTTUMWA, IOWA -- For our Facebook story of the day, our Facebook fans wanted to know what are the policies regarding police chases with law enforcement agencies here in the Heartland?

KTVO first reached out to the Missouri Highway Patrol to find out what their policy is. 

According to the public information office within the agency, the highway patrol does pursue vehicles, but there are many factors that are thought out before the state trooper will pursue the suspect.

Those factors include weather, traffic and location. The department also puts into account what the crime is. Each situation is going to be different, therefore they have strict policies regarding how many officers will pursue the suspect.

The Kirksville Police Department has a very strict policy regarding this situation; even before a pursuit even beings, the officer must check with his supervisor and the supervisor on duty would check with his or her superior and Chief Jim Hughes would make a decision.

In a 17 page policy that multiple law enforcement agencies follow, the policy states that no more than two police vehicles will chase a suspect.

No more than 2 Kirksville emergency vehicles may be involved in the act of pursing a violator at any one time unless approved by a supervisor.

"Despite what television portrays, you know when you have 20 cars involved in a pursuit, and the more vehicles you get involved, the more likely some type of adverse outcome will come about,” said Chief Hughes.

“For the City of Kirksville, it’s boiled down to pretty much one component as far as pursing is concerned; your authorized to pursue on felonies that involved the likelihood for substantial risk of death of serious physical injury,” said Chief Hughes.

KTVO had a chance to speak to Ottumwa Police Chief Jim Clark.

Clark says his department chases vehicles in only two circumstances: if the person driving has committed a forcible felony or when letting that person go is more dangerous than chasing them.

Minor violations would not constitute a chase.

"There's no sense in chasing someone for not wearing their seatbelt or for a speeding infraction," said Clark. "Usually what happens in those cases is an innocent person gets hurt and sometimes killed. Frankly, is it worth someone dying over not wearing a seatbelt?"

After this policy was put in place years ago there were some concerns from officers.

"Initially when we started this new policy years ago, there was concern amongst officers that we'd have a lot of people take off from us and try to elude and that hasn't been the case."