Understanding Texas Law: Out-of-State Police Pursuits And Arrests Explained

One thing that's certain in Texas, cops don't mess around. The laws vary from city to city, but the police are not afraid to pull you over if they suspect you've done something wrong. But what if a cop from another state tries to pull you over? For example, a cop from New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Louisiana? Are these bordering state cops allowed to follow you into Texas?

Out-of-state cops can NOT follow you, but there are exceptions to the rule

According to the official text from the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 14, it states that an officer from another state can not pull you over or arrest you UNLESS they are in "fresh pursuit of a person for the purpose of arresting that person for a felony may continue the pursuit into this state and arrest the person".

In other words, if an officer believes you might have done something wrong or illegal  (like if you were speeding, driving erratically, might be in possession of something illegal, or you have a warrant out for your arrest), then the police officer is still able to make an arrest, they simply must report to the local jurisdiction on WHERE the arrest was made.

Even if they can't catch up to you, an officer from another state can always contact the authorities in the nearest town or city in Texas (or vice versa) to request help persuing and arresting a suspect. This HAS happened in police chases and the result is always the same...the bad guys get busted.

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So, the bottom line is don't break the law; you definitely don't want to break the law and cross into another state. If you do, you'll be in a heap of trouble from not one, but MULTIPLE states.

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