I finally saw a police video where a cop popped a few tires with his knife. I've seen so many different videos where it looked like that would be a simple thing to do but I assume that it's not allowed and that's why I never see it. Reminds me of the convincing I had to do to get permission to pop tires with the Halligan instead of using pliers to pull the valve stem.

That tends to make the tow truck driver unhappy.

Yes... and I've done it to help assist in/attempting to disable a stolen vehicle... or at least make it more difficult to drive.

Double post...

We do it when necessary during extrications.  Step chocks and a stab.   I keep a knife in my coat pocket pretty much just for that.

There are mini stop-sticks, but they destroy the tire and you have to remember to retrieve them if your bad guy doesn't go mobile. If you have the time, a valve stem removal tool is the best $3 you can spend. Loosen or remove the schrader valve depending on your time frame. When done, tighten it or put it back in and pump up the tire, no damage.  Check the auto section @ walmart.

Everything like that is situational.

Just about anything is “allowed” under the right circumstances.

Generally speaking it’s not allowed. Like that one guy on your squad that keeps taking FMLA, and claims he can’t work weekend nights because he has sleep apnea and PTSD from his time as a non-deployed National Guard supply clerk?

You pop that guys POV tires with a knife one time and it’s a criminal IA. Ridiculous.

I am aware and have tools for pulling valve stems I just don't see that as a good solution for an active situation.

That's why I was asking. I've seen talk about safety concerns as well as damage concerns. It's pretty simple to do on most tires but I never see it done in the videos I watch so I wanted to know what's up.

That's my experience deflating for extrication.

Our policy was silent on that, but I cant see any of the CLEOs I worked for ever approving of it. Sounds about as smart  as the trend a couple of years ago of shooting your gun through your windshield while in motion.

ETA- my posts are from a LE application perspective.

When it comes to tactical problem solving, nothing is off the table per se. Sometimes things that seem "odd" or "stupid"... just might work under a specific set of circumstances.

Then again, a man has to know his limitations and abilities to think creatively and on the fly to get things done. Some people are good at thinking under pressure and some are not.

In my case, we had a stolen vehicle pinned but we didn't know how long we would be able maintain control. Under distraction from others, I slipped up behind the vehicle undetected and punctured both rear tires. The attempted path of escape continued to be forward so we sure as hell were not going to put stop sticks in front of the car and putting them in the rear would most likely been useless.

As far as "approving" a specific practice, the possibilities are way too vast to cover every possible situation. A GOOD policy contains a general provixion that allows for creative thinking that solves problems without needlessly limiting options so long as they are lawful acts and not reckless in nature.

I assumed that it was in a LE scenario. I still dont think that any of my agencies would have looked kindly on puncturing tires.
I understand your comment about the policies. Unfortunately about half of the CLEOs I worked for over the years would have found something in policy to nail us to the wall for damaging tires. I'm sure of that.

So no stop sticks or similar?

Oh sure, we had those, along with the usual policies. I dont see that policy translating well into putting a knife into a tire sidewall to prevent the car from leaving.