Are Police Chases Common?

Question

I have been watching "Disorderly Conduct", a TV Show which focuses mostly on police chases. I have never seen one take place, but they somehow get enough clips to make a show out of it. I was just wondering if police chases happened a lot or on just a rare occasion.

Thanks

Answer 1

Chases happen on a rare occasion. I myself have been in three. One with a DUI that ran from another department (he almost hit me head on at my roadblock) and two others for traffic violations (both of which I called off). Most departments have a policy not to pursue unless it's a result of a felony. This is due to liability reasons.

Answer 2

First it depends on what you (or actually a police department) defines as a chase. There are some now that say if you follow a vehicle for more than a few hundred feet with your emergency equipment activated (flashing lights etc.) on then you are in a chase. Others say only if the vehicle being followed is attempting to elude is it a chase.
The old story is that most police never have to pull their weapon, let alone shoot. Well, in my 29 years I had to shoot more times then I had to participate in a chase worthy of television. I was in a very urban department. I'm sure it is different for different parts of the country.
With over 800,000 sworn police officers in the United States I'm sure that a TV producer can come up with plenty of video chases for their shows.

Answer 3

I wouldn't say that they are common but you have to remember how large this country is. I work in a small county with an interstate just outside of a mid-size metro area and I would guess that we have a significant chase about once every 8 months to a year. Its not enough to be common, but if you multiply that by about 200-300 metro areas each with multiple major highways, its easy to see how you can get enough nationwide to make it look more common than it really is.

Answer 4

Only if someone lifts one of their boxes of Crispy Creams....