Last updated: 5 September 2026
How to Escape the Police in Schedule I
The police are the main source of friction in Schedule I, and getting caught carrying product means losing it. Learning the wanted system and the evasion basics keeps your business running and even turns a chase into an XP opportunity. This guide covers the wanted levels, surviving a search, and how to lose the cops.
Schedule I has a three-stage wanted system (Under Arrest, Wanted, Wanted: Dead or Alive). During a body search, the officer scans your inventory slot by slot — click and hold a slot with product as their scan approaches it to keep that item hidden. To escape, break line of sight in alleys and buildings, hide in dumpsters, and avoid patrol routes until the wanted timer clears. Curfew (9 PM–5 AM) makes deliveries riskier but pays a cash bonus, and escaping any wanted level grants XP, more the higher the level.
01The Wanted Level System
Police attention escalates through three stages, each more dangerous:
- Under Arrest — an officer is attempting to detain you; comply or flee before it escalates.
- Wanted — police are actively pursuing you and will search or arrest you on contact.
- Wanted: Dead or Alive — the highest level, where officers draw pistols and chase with two cars instead of one.
- The level clears on a timer once you break pursuit, so the goal is to get out of sight long enough for it to count down.
- Escaping any of the three levels grants XP — more for the higher, riskier levels — so a chase you get away from is not wasted time.
02Surviving a Search
If an officer stops to search you, what you do in the next moment matters:
- Hide your carried product slot by slot — an officer scans your inventory left to right, one slot at a time, and once they move past a slot they don't go back to it. Click and hold on a slot with product as their scan approaches it to keep it concealed; once they've passed it, that item is safe for the rest of the search.
- Space out illegal items in your inventory — keeping them a slot or two apart gives you more time to react instead of needing to hide two items at once.
- Do not carry more than you need on risky deliveries — losing a small batch hurts less than losing your whole stock.
- Know that a clean search (no product found) lets you walk away without losing anything.
03How to Lose the Cops
Once you are being pursued, evasion is about breaking their line of sight:
- Break line of sight — duck into alleyways, around buildings, and through gaps so officers lose visual on you.
- Hide — dumpsters and similar hiding spots let you wait out a search.
- Avoid patrol routes — running into more police resets or raises your heat, so move away from busy areas.
- Wait out the timer — once they have lost you, a countdown clears the wanted level; stay hidden until it does.
- Use vehicles and distance where possible to put space between you and pursuers.
04Curfew Risk & the XP Bonus
Police pressure is not constant, and risk can be turned into reward:
- Curfew runs from 9 PM to 5 AM every in-game night, and police are far more aggressive during it — getting spotted is much more likely to mean an immediate arrest attempt than during the day.
- Curfew deliveries pay a cash bonus that scales with how deep into the curfew window you deliver, peaking for deals made around the middle of the night (roughly 11 PM–3 AM).
- Escaping any wanted level grants XP, scaling up with the level — Wanted: Dead or Alive pays out the most, so reliable evaders can turn getting chased into rank progress.
- Plan routes that avoid patrols during curfew to get the bonus without getting caught.
- Police behaviour is tuned in Early Access updates, so tactics may shift between versions.
FAQ
How do you escape the police in Schedule I?
Break their line of sight by ducking into alleys, around buildings, and through gaps so officers lose visual on you, then hide in spots like dumpsters and avoid patrol routes. Once you have broken pursuit, a timer counts down and clears your wanted level, so stay hidden until it does. If you are searched, the officer scans your inventory slot by slot — click and hold a slot with product as their scan reaches it to keep that item concealed.
What happens if you get caught with product in Schedule I?
If an officer's scan reaches a slot with product still visible, it is confiscated. To avoid this, click and hold that inventory slot to hide it right as the scan approaches — once the officer's scan has passed a slot, it's safe for the rest of that search. Spacing illegal items a slot or two apart gives you more time to react. A clean search where no product is found lets you walk away without losing anything, so do not carry more product than you need on risky deliveries.
How does the wanted system work in Schedule I?
There are three stages: Under Arrest (an officer is trying to detain you), Wanted (police actively pursue you, tasers drawn), and Wanted: Dead or Alive (the most aggressive level, pistols drawn and two cars in pursuit instead of one). The level clears on a timer once you break pursuit by getting out of sight. Escaping any of the three levels grants XP, scaling up with how severe the level was.
Is it riskier to sell during curfew in Schedule I?
Yes. Curfew runs from 9 PM to 5 AM, and police are much more aggressive during it, making deliveries riskier. The upside is a cash bonus on deliveries made during that window, which peaks for deals made in the middle of the night. If you can plan routes that avoid patrols and break line of sight when spotted, the bonus can be worth the added heat, especially since a successful escape from a resulting chase also grants XP.
Sources
Where the facts on this page were checked. If one of them now says something different, we want to know — tell us and we will fix the guide.
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