Totally disagree – this is the sane way to do things. Very, very few police encounters require the use of deadly force, and high speed chases definitely qualify as deadly force.
Now if we can just start ratcheting down the militarization of the cops and the nutjob idea that a police officer’s first duty is the safety of himself and the safety of his fellow officers instead of the safety of the public, we’ll be getting somewhere (stopping the insanity of the War on Some Drugs is a good place to start).
I used to watch the TV program “Cops” all the time (I know, I know), and I would yell at the TV over every Bill of Rights violation (yeah, yeah, everyone who watches Cops has an excuse).
The part I like to talk about is where they do a “traffic stop” on some dude driving a beat-up Saturn automobile (on the thinnest of probable cause), run the plates and determine that the vehicle is stolen, have the guy take off, and then a chase ensues, ending with a lecture “Why did you run, do you know much danger you put people in?” when they finally collar the guy after he wraps it around a light pole.
I mean, grand theft auto is a felony, and the stolen Saturn is some poor dude’s ride, but to engage in a high-speed chase after a stolen Saturn? Given the social costs and risks of these chases, the cops should just give the victim a voucher to buy a slightly nicer used car. Especially since in the aftermath of the chase there is not much left to that vehicle.
Okay, so if I’m speeding and a cop wants me to pull over, it’s okay if I speed up because he won’t chase me just for speeding?
I’d advise only doing this in a stolen car. Maybe you could put on fake plates if you didn’t want to actually steal a car.
“Departments and officers now accept they have to weigh the risk of the chase against the need to apprehend,” he says. “Chasing someone for a gas drive-away doesn’t makes sense. Chasing someone through a crowded mall parking lot doesn’t make sense. At 1 am with no traffic on an empty highway and a suspect car that matches a description of one involved in a robbery . . . well, then a chase may be appropriate.”
Of all the qualifiers, which is the one that matters and is sensible?
At 1am; the streets are dark, visibility is limited, and it is very easy to exceed the ability to see far enough ahead of you for speeds that can be reached.
How many highways are really empty, even at 1am? Besides being dark, 1 am also happens to be closing time for many establishments that sell alcohol.
I’m not even sure a description matching a robbery is sufficient. But I do think the only thing that should matter is say, a description matching an aggrevated (meaning it was violent) robbery. That suspect is likely to be dangerous to someone else and needs to be segregated from society quickly. I don’t think time of day or traffic conditions should play as much as the danger of the suspect.
Personally, this is where I support domestic drones. Follow the fleeing suspect from the air. Unfortunately, some bureaucrat will waste such a resource to spy on his neighbor’s backyard. So we can’t have such tools for these people to treat as toys.
Just watch… all new cars will be required to include a remote ignition cutoff.
Why aren’t drivers required to wear helmets. Wouldn’t that reduce fatalities?
Or perhaps all drivers should be required pay for an officer to ride with them… you know, just in case.
I’m intentionally trying to be absurd here, but the non zero possibilities are putting me in a funk.
all new cars will be required to include a remote ignition cutoff.
DC Fire and EMS officials are explaining why an ambulance had to stop, in the middle of the transport of a suspect who was shot by police.
The ambulance the suspect in stopped short of the hospital, where he later died. Fire officials say it wasn’t because of an attempt to let a suspected cop shooter die in their care, but because a new piece of equipment on their truck meant to reduce diesel emissions forced the ambulance to shut down.
The device which is mandated by the EPA to be on all newer model diesel vehicles is designed to burn of diesel toxins. It does it either automatically or manually.
I can see this leading in an undesired direction.
Totally disagree – this is the sane way to do things. Very, very few police encounters require the use of deadly force, and high speed chases definitely qualify as deadly force.
Now if we can just start ratcheting down the militarization of the cops and the nutjob idea that a police officer’s first duty is the safety of himself and the safety of his fellow officers instead of the safety of the public, we’ll be getting somewhere (stopping the insanity of the War on Some Drugs is a good place to start).
I used to watch the TV program “Cops” all the time (I know, I know), and I would yell at the TV over every Bill of Rights violation (yeah, yeah, everyone who watches Cops has an excuse).
The part I like to talk about is where they do a “traffic stop” on some dude driving a beat-up Saturn automobile (on the thinnest of probable cause), run the plates and determine that the vehicle is stolen, have the guy take off, and then a chase ensues, ending with a lecture “Why did you run, do you know much danger you put people in?” when they finally collar the guy after he wraps it around a light pole.
I mean, grand theft auto is a felony, and the stolen Saturn is some poor dude’s ride, but to engage in a high-speed chase after a stolen Saturn? Given the social costs and risks of these chases, the cops should just give the victim a voucher to buy a slightly nicer used car. Especially since in the aftermath of the chase there is not much left to that vehicle.
Okay, so if I’m speeding and a cop wants me to pull over, it’s okay if I speed up because he won’t chase me just for speeding?
I’d advise only doing this in a stolen car. Maybe you could put on fake plates if you didn’t want to actually steal a car.
“Departments and officers now accept they have to weigh the risk of the chase against the need to apprehend,” he says. “Chasing someone for a gas drive-away doesn’t makes sense. Chasing someone through a crowded mall parking lot doesn’t make sense. At 1 am with no traffic on an empty highway and a suspect car that matches a description of one involved in a robbery . . . well, then a chase may be appropriate.”
Of all the qualifiers, which is the one that matters and is sensible?
At 1am; the streets are dark, visibility is limited, and it is very easy to exceed the ability to see far enough ahead of you for speeds that can be reached.
How many highways are really empty, even at 1am? Besides being dark, 1 am also happens to be closing time for many establishments that sell alcohol.
I’m not even sure a description matching a robbery is sufficient. But I do think the only thing that should matter is say, a description matching an aggrevated (meaning it was violent) robbery. That suspect is likely to be dangerous to someone else and needs to be segregated from society quickly. I don’t think time of day or traffic conditions should play as much as the danger of the suspect.
Personally, this is where I support domestic drones. Follow the fleeing suspect from the air. Unfortunately, some bureaucrat will waste such a resource to spy on his neighbor’s backyard. So we can’t have such tools for these people to treat as toys.
Just watch… all new cars will be required to include a remote ignition cutoff.
Why aren’t drivers required to wear helmets. Wouldn’t that reduce fatalities?
Or perhaps all drivers should be required pay for an officer to ride with them… you know, just in case.
I’m intentionally trying to be absurd here, but the non zero possibilities are putting me in a funk.
all new cars will be required to include a remote ignition cutoff.
Which we will be told are totally unhackable.
In related news: Ambulance Shuts Down On Way To Hospital
(warning, auto start video at link)
DC Fire and EMS officials are explaining why an ambulance had to stop, in the middle of the transport of a suspect who was shot by police.
The ambulance the suspect in stopped short of the hospital, where he later died. Fire officials say it wasn’t because of an attempt to let a suspected cop shooter die in their care, but because a new piece of equipment on their truck meant to reduce diesel emissions forced the ambulance to shut down.
The device which is mandated by the EPA to be on all newer model diesel vehicles is designed to burn of diesel toxins. It does it either automatically or manually.