Once the player has a wanted level, officers in the precinct will chase the player and will attempt to arrest him. Stars are cumulative because repeatedly committing one-star crimes with the sight of the police may lead to a two-star rating and so on. Committing serious crimes is likely to earn multiple stars outright: for example, killing or wounding an officer with a firearm results in an immediate three-star wanted level, rather than a two-star wanted level like in previous Grand Theft Auto games. Relatively minor crimes committed within sight of the police may attract one star, though certain actions (like firing shots) can get the player a star if an officer is within hearing range but cannot see the player.
As in previous games, the wanted level feature in Grand Theft Auto IV is measured on a six-star scale, transitioning the non-lethal one star to the extremely aggressive six stars. The Wanted Level feature in Grand Theft Auto IV and its expansions is a measure of how much the player is wanted by the Liberty City Police Department (LCPD) or the Alderney State Police (ASP) and the game's other law enforcement agencies (such as NOOSE and the FIB) and therefore how much force will be used in the pursuit of the player. Upon gaining a Wanted Level, a Police Search Radius is centered on the player's position.
