Boy racer,police car chases.Should it be stopped.?

Question

I watched a television programme last night that showed a police car chasing a car on the highway and through built up areas at excessive speeds.The commentator pointed out various dangerous maneuvers that the chased car was making, overtaking on bends etc."Hello would he be doing it had he not being chased".Is it really necessary to put innocent pedestrians and other road users lives at risk,for what is sometimes petty crime,e.g. no insurance or tax or a faulty rear light.You may say "well he is a criminal" but is it really worth it.

Answer 1

Well said, A friend of mine was killed when a police car was chasing him, the police touched the back end of his car then he lost control and smashed into a tree

Answer 2

Granted it is dangerous for the innocent bystanders that may be in the path of the chase, but what do you suggest as an alternative? Not all of the people who give chase to the police are merely guilty of minor infractions. The officer must assume that when a person runs from them that it may be due to the person having committed a real crime.

Do you want the man who just stole a car after he robbed a store and killed the cashier to be allowed to just drive away without being pursued? That does not sound like a real effective way to keep our criminal population in check.

When a person is pulled over and all they have done wrong is something minor that will merely warrant a ticket or a license suspension, they should consider the big picture before doing something irrational like fleeing the scene. If they do take flight then they have just proven to the cop and anyone else with common sense that they need to be rounded up and punished.

It is sad that people who are not involved in the situation often suffer, but that is one of the prices of keeping the peace. Imagine living in a place where there is nobody chasing down the bad guys. Your question seems to make the cops into the bad guys for doing their jobs. We need to look at the idiot who runs from the cop instead. Do you run from cops when getting pulled over? Why not? See my point?

You're right about the one who runs only doing so because he is being chased, but not chasing him would send a message to the criminals that they wont have to worry about the police. Why worry? They wont arrest anyone who does not give up voluntarily anyway. Wow....What a scary scenario.

I am willing to take the risk of being injured or worse by a car chase if it means that we still have brave men and women putting their own lives on the line to protect the greater population.

******** Had to come back and comment on "Blade's" answer. Sounds to me like your friend should not have run away. You make it sound like your buddy was doing nothing wrong. He should have stopped his car and dealt with the repercussions of his actions. His death, while tragic, is a clear illustration of why one should not run from the police. He would be alive today (or at least not killed that night) if he had done the right thing. Something tells me he and his family would have preferred that he go to jail rather than die.

Answer 3

The police will only pursue a car if it is stolen or has broken some law or is being driven erratically and they suspect something is wrong. Therefore they should pursue the car, particularly as it may have been used in some crime. I have seen police chases on TV where the police have deliberately slowed down because they feared that chasing the car would cause more problems, but that is usually only when they have some sort of back up system in place.

Answer 4

I think i was watching the same programme, and the police were worse than the criminals most of the time driving on the wrong side of the road, i dont think the police should be allowed to chase at high speeds in build up areas, i just dont see how getting one petty criminal can justifiy putting the lives of so many at risk.

Answer 5

I think most people who run from the police have done something serious or just simply don't respect the lives of other people. I my belief they should be chased and stopped and the fleeing should be a felony where its not in Georgia. Increase the penalty for the boy racer and we might see a decline. Mandatory prison sentence instead of 12 months probation. Most of the people I have chased had warrants, were suspended, selling drugs and on drugs or drunk.

Answer 6

Currently in development is a system that will allow any police in persuit of a vehicle, to disable it from a distance, based on the operation of the cars own immobilisation system.

The police vehicle, or roadside officers will be able to use a wide band transmission system that can interrogate and operate a cars immobiliser within a very short time and limited distance.

A variation of the system is already in use using the Thatcham GPS tracker, whereby the vehicle can be located on report of a theft etc. and immobilised directly from the tracking company's headquarters.

Answer 7

If they don't give chase then criminals will escape capture EVERY time by driving off at speed after any kind of crime.

You have to bear in mind organised crime is the first to use high power vehicles to escape from the boys in blue.

Lets see more use of the Police Helicopters and stinger.

Answer 8

Think of it this way, if the cop just lets him go after getting his licence plate # the man could still indanger the lives of people around him, he could be a murderer, he could be a drug dealer, could have a warrent for his arrest. So yes it is neccesarry for the officer to pursue him. Often times the criminal trying to avoid police think they can out manuver the officers when they fail to remember that officers are trained professionals when it comes to driving at high rates of speed and are pretty good if not excellent marksmen.

Answer 9

We all have a lot more to worry about. It is time we stopped worrying the Police with petty matters and let them stop us from being killed by these nutters that are attacking us. Stop wasting police time and grow up for just a little while until it's sorted. Not much to ask. We don't have to go into the trenches this time.

Answer 10

The problem starts when these young,spoiled kids are given everything, including high-powered cars.Having things given to them all their lives puts them into the mindset of being better than everybody else.When laws are broken,the police are paid to respond.In the process of doing their job,they run across all types of society,and they can't play favorites.Evading arrest is a felony,and if the police let felons escape they are not doing their jobs.