Police escort

A police escort, also known as a law enforcement escort, is a service offered by police and law enforcement to assist in transporting important individuals or resources.

Police officers on motorcycles escorting Elizabeth II in Berlin during a state visit to Germany, 2015

This is done by means of assigning police vehicles, primarily cars or motorcycles, to precede, surround, and/or follow a vehicle, or group of vehicles. Other government departments also provide escort services, such as secret service and military police.

An escort can range widely in size, beginning with a single vehicle. They almost always assist with motorcades for the transportation of senior public officials, such as heads of state or heads of government, or can be hired by celebrities, professional athletes, funerals.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents escorting a man for deportation

A police escort does not need to be side by side to those being escorted, nor does it have to be conducted using vehicles; any form of visible police protection for an important person or resource is considered a police escort. The purpose of the police escort is to ensure those who are being escorted get to their destination in a safe manner.

See also

• Motorcade
• Perp walk