The LA County Sheriff's Department give a demonstration of vehicle pursuit training

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department gave an inside look at all those vehicle pursuits seen on KCAL News – the intense training involved and the challenges officers face when conducting such pursuits. 

KCAL News reporter Jeff Nguyen got his hands on the wheel Wednesday at the Emergency Vehicle Operations Center in Castaic.

First of all, there's driving, then radio in hand, turning on the sirens, watching for cross traffic -- Nguyen found out it was very stressful,  and a sworn deputy has even more responsibilities.

When code 3 is called: sirens go on and the pursuit begins. Deputy Jeremiah Song said the Sheriff's Department does not engage in a chase for simple misdemeanors like traffic violations. And there are limits on how far a chase can go.

"We don't want to go above 20 miles per hour above the speed limit," said Song. He explained that when chases become too dangerous – the department will use helicopters and move to surveillance mode, as opposed to a pursuit, to de-escalate things. 

Police personnel survey the pursuit situation, watching live TV coverage and listening to radio transmissions to decide whether a pursuit should be terminated, or continue. 

When public safety is at risk, with the suspect posing any kind of danger to the public, the department will see a chase to the end.