North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) State Practice Exam

If an officer witnesses a misdemeanor and the offender flees across city lines, does the officer have jurisdiction to pursue?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Only with backup

4. Yes, but only for felonies

The correct answer is: Yes

When an officer witnesses a misdemeanor and the offender flees across city lines, the officer maintains the authority to pursue the suspect. This is grounded in the principle of "fresh pursuit," which allows law enforcement to follow a suspect across jurisdictional lines to apprehend them for a crime that they have witnessed firsthand. The rationale behind this is that the officer's primary responsibility is to enforce the law and maintain public safety, which does not end at city or county borders. The concept of fresh pursuit is recognized in many jurisdictions and facilitates cooperation between law enforcement in different areas, ensuring that fleeing suspects cannot easily evade justice simply by crossing a boundary. In this scenario, since the officer has directly observed the misdemeanor, they can actively pursue the suspect, despite the fact that they have crossed city lines. This capacity to follow the suspect for a misdemeanor offense reinforces the officer's integrative role in law enforcement across different jurisdictions.