To chase, or not to chase?

I was listening on the radio this morning and a topic came up that I’ve actually been thinking about lately. The topic was about police chases. The talk show host wanted to know if we (the listeners) thought that police should/shouldn’t engage in high speed car chases.

I don’t think all car chases should be banned. There should be some criteria as to whether or not a car chase should continue. Recently, in a city near me, a 6 car pile-up was caused by a driver fleeing from the police. The speed of the chase reached 110+ mph. The reason the police started chasing the man was because he didn’t stop for a traffic violation. After the chase ended, the police asked the man why he didn’t stop. His answer was, “I ain’t got no license.” This type of chase should not have occurred. If the person is guilty of only a minor violation, and the speeds reach 100+ mph, the chase should be called off because the risks far out weigh the rewards. Now, if a felony has occurred (i.e. murder, bank robery, etc.), then a chase should be allowed under direct supervision.

My personal belief is that the decision to continue a pursuit should be left up to a superior officer that is not involved in the chase. During a car chase, the officer’s blood is racing and adrenaline is pumping. I think this makes their judgement a little cloudy. A seasoned commanding officer will be able to assess the situation and decide if it would be safe to continue the pursuit. There is actually a couple of states that this is a requirement but I think it should be expanded to all states.

I also think that police officers should be well trained to handle high speed chases. Not all police officers recieve sufficient training in this area but it is one that almost all police officers have a need for at some point. Maybe states need to evaluate their spending on wasteful endeavours and start spending it on better police and fire protection (not to mention schools). All states waste millions every year that could easily ensure a safer community.

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- Dave Barry

28.Feb.05 General

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One Response to “To chase, or not to chase?”

helpful_harry | February 28th, 2005 at 8:06 pm
I have a life-long friend in the Highway Patrol unit and he says it’s pretty simple . . . if they don’t chase – people escape. The courts demand that the driver be apprehended with or in the vehicle. Finger-prints, photo’s, eye witnesses don’t mean jack in the courtroom. The HWP guys are sick of risking their lives too.