Should high speed police chases be outlawed?

Question

I feel they should. If the police wouldn't chase them , they wouldn't run. Many innocent bystanders are at risk. Unless the police know a suspect is armed and dangerous I say let them go and hope they catch them later. If my kids ever get hurt or killed as a result of one of these chases, you can bet I would sue the agencies involved. What are your thoughts?

a_wood80: again , if my kids ever got hurt I would sue the cops. No human life is worth the cops getting their bad guys.

"Old Fuzz" , you misunderstand. I have a 3 year old and I'm saying if she were killed or hurt in some type of accident involving a police chase.

Answer 1

I have mixed feeling about it. I hear you and your concerns because I have thought the exact same things. If they are chasing someone that has committed a horrific crime and if not caught now, other people's life could be in danger. If they don't get them now, maybe they won't get another chance. Then, I almost feel like they have to. If they wouldn't run then they would not have to be chased. If someone runs the police are almost sure to think they have done something really bad. Its a catch 22.

Answer 2

Part of registration procedures on vehicles should be that they are fitted withglobal positioning systems. So that authorities know where cars are at any given time. Some would say it is an invasion of privacy. But the advantages far outweight the disadvantages. The information can be used to track the car , at a safe distance by police, to determine the route . The information can also be used by governments to see traffic flow during peak hours of traffic and used as a guide for future installantion of freeways to guide traffic so cars dont get so congested in busy intersections etc. If u know there are 20,000 cars that use a specific freeway or highway on ay given day and u know that the population is growing that within a few years it will be too much. They can use that information for future construction of said motorways to help alleviate the congestion. The police chases would be alot safer , as we all know. Police need to catch the criminals.But at least it can be done from a safe distane if a GPS is fitted in all cars. What people dont realise is , it is not a invasion of privacy as the roads are owned by the government and that diving is a privilage. Not a right. People need to recognise that. Part of registration should be the fitting of a GPS locator. Because as u are all well aware. Time and Time again. Cars kill people. Not to mention the fact about ayone speeding. Police would be able to know if they are speeding by the time they have travelled between two certain points. Just by calculatiing the speed limit and the time traavelled between points. The would not even have to give chase. Just send a fine in the mail.

Answer 3

Very interesting opinion that you have on this topic. Lets look at it a bit closer.

You said unless the police know a suspect is armed and dangerous they should let them go. Well speaking from the car chasing I can honestly say you don't ever know why someone has made the choice to run from the police. Is it they are wanted for murder, or is it they just killed someone, could it be they just robbed a bank, or maybe they kidnapped a small child.......maybe they just dont have a license, maybe they are scared of getting a ticket. I dont mean to be smarty but those are the things that rush through your mind when you hit the lights and the car runs from you. In short you just do not know why the person is running.

Now lets take the spot light off of the police and lets look at the law makers. How about the law makers put into place laws that make fleeing from the police a offense that when your convicted you go to prison for at least 2 years and you loose you license for say 10 years. Lets look at the people that do it know that they will get slapped on the hand so why not try it. If they get away they are free if they get caught well the courts are not going to send them to jail. Why not make it so people know run from the police and you will spend tim in jail.

There are police chases everyday that do not make the news. Every day in this country they are police chases that end with the bad guy going to jail that you do not see on tv, but once in awhile you will see the ones that have ended badly and for the most part those are the ones that most people form their opinions on.

So you really have to ask yourself do you want someone to come into your house and kill a family member and leave in a blue car. Well the police an hour later see a blue car and try to stop it to see if it had something to do with your family member getting killed. the driver decides to run from the police. Now we dont know if it is the car or not. So with that in mind should we just say well no we are gonna let this one go......or should we chase the car and find out why is this guy running from us because he did something that he doesnt want us to know about. maybe he was the one that just commited that murder or is it he just dont have a license. Until we get him we just dont know.

Answer 4

And what if the cops say, "Oh well, let the guy go, seeing how high speed pursuits have been outlawed," and then the guy that's evading the law walks into the grocery store you're at, blows your kid away (and everyone else in his way) then walks out with the cash register...

When I've rubbernecked high speed police chases from the safety of my home (on the evening news), the police cars are always very careful, especially on the highway... they put public safety first, and thanks to the aerial view provided by the news, it's easy to see that police cars are getting involved all along the apparent route of the evader... so that, rather than lots of cars tailing the guy at high speeds, you have police cars entering the highway ramp AHEAD of the evader... also, other police are closing ramps and directing traffic AWAY from the danger.

I have always been impressed with the efficiency of the local police department in catching people who try to evade capture. It makes for good reality TV, as well.

The high speed dangerous car chases you mention seem more reminiscent of action flicks. Yeah, I agree, high speed car chases like Nicolas Cage in The Rock, or any Schwarzenegger movie, should definitely be outlawed... in fact, I think they are.

Answer 5

There is a high tech device in the works than can actually run under the fleeing vehicle and short out the electrical system, which will shut down the car.
I've seen it tested and it works really well.

The majority of suspects run because they think they can out-drive the police. It might be true, but you can't out-run a radio. A lot of the time they run so that they can throw a gun or some narcotics from the vehicle. If we don't pursue them, the gun or narcotics that the suspect tosses out the window might be found by a child, with tragic results.
My department is fortunate to have two air units that will take over a high speed pursuit, while we just parallel the suspect or follow at a distance where we cannot be seen. A lot of the time, the air unit will give locations where a unit up ahead of us can be set up to intercept the suspects.
The last pursuit I was in, we caught a man who was on parole for rape, and he ran because he had just assaulted a girl and had her clothing in his car.
BTW - if you run in California, be prepared to do 6 months to a year in jail and pay a $10,000 fine.

Answer 6

If the police did not pursue, EVERYBODY would run. Most cops really hate high speed chases. Almost every department has some restrictions on chases. Most cops use several strategies to avoid chases.

By the way, your ability to sue the police for pursuing your kid that was killed or injured is hampered by your kid's illegal act. The Supreme Court just made a decision that made it much more difficult for such suits to be won. Just tell your kid to pull over.

Answer 7

Until they have an alternative, no.

However, alternatives are available.

How about the police give the car one "shot across the bow" in the form of a smoke bomb from a copter in front of the car. If the car does not stop, a sniper in the copter starts shooting at the car. Since the sniper will be shooting DOWN, no innocent bystanders will be at risk.

How about automatic spike strips on the freeways that can be activated remotely? As the car comes up on one, an officer in a copter can activate it and shred his tires.

How about a cannon on the roof of a police car? When he gets lined up with the car he is chasing, he just blows it away.

How about a remote control on all cars? If the police want you to stop, they can just send out a signal and stop ALL the cars in the immediate area..

How about making the punishment fit the crime? For every 5 minutes you refuse to stop, another year gets added to your prison sentence? Once you hit 1 hour, you get life in prison.

How about if you refuse to stop for 15 minutes and the police catch it all on tape, when they finally do catch you, they get to put a bullet in your head and save everyone a lot of money in court.

How about heavily armored remote controlled police cars that can ram the car from the front? That will stop it very quickly and no police officer will be at risk.

Or how about people keep their windows cracked, their AC turned off and their car radios off so they can HEAR the sirens of the police car and get the hell out of the way?

Answer 8

There certainly should be a solid decision matrix for when to chase and when not to chase. For example; someone robs a Wal-Mart then you know you have them on camera, so no need to chase! Just go pick them up later. Another, use camera for traffic violations. Of course there will still be some valid reasons for high speed chases, but eliminating some could significantly reduce the related unnecessary innocent by-stander deaths!

Answer 9

I agree if they are not believed to be armed and dangerous, chasing them should be outlawed. Is it really worth the risk chasing someone who stole a car or some other non violent crime? Sure you could say well if they committed one crime they probably have committed lots more.

But they should listen to the data at hand, i mean come on an innocent person gets smashed into the concrete just so they can catch the criminal? desperate criminals do desperate things, but then you have to look at the whole picture... If our legal system wasnt so unorganized we could get these people help but no lets lock em up for 5 years then let em out to do the same crimes yet again good grief.

Answer 10

There is already laws on the books making police chases illegal. I don't know about anywhere else but in WA it is called felony eluding. You run from the police, you go to jail, therefore police Chase are illegal. So, bright one, now what?

This falls in the same line as the gun control nuts saying we should outlaw guns because of incidents like Columbine.

In either case, if the nut ball is planning a school shooting or is planning to run from the police, that nut ball is not going to be concerned about a law making gun possession or police chases illegal.

By the way, you did not mention suing the criminal. Why not?