Police Chases

[ericadawn16]

My favorite classes in school would require us to think and debate certain topics. One topic that I remember clearly was:

Would you want police to chase after your stolen car?

Everyone in the class, except for me and one other girl, thought this was a great idea. She and I said no. A car can be replaced but once cars are moving at high speeds, then anything could happen and we didn't want innocent people to get hurt.

However, there are now some areas that don't allow police chases at all.

Comments

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

What if the police allow the criminal to just go free and then he car jacks the next person? Or kidnaps the next person? Or what if the the guy moves up in the criminal world and begins dealing drugs?

Those are a lot of what-ifs, but they are necessary. Like the guys who fled from police, and when the cops finally chased them down, they found a body in the trunk. They had killed the man, stolen his car, and were running with it.

Approximately 360 people die a year from police chases. It's a high number, and the average toll for police officers is one dead officer every six weeks due to pursuits.

It's a tragic number, but at the same time, who could be turned loose upon the streets if they aren't stopped? When a person flees from the police, it's generally a sign that there are much bigger issues going on than an attempt to evade a speeding ticket.

Should an officer not pursue a suspected drunk driver and just let them roam the streets? Or should they try to stop them? What if the person who has the car is a murderer? A wife-beater? A child abuser? Someone who sells drugs to ten-year-olds?

How would you justify that in the name of a false sense of safety?

I'm just saying...it sounds noble and brilliant to say that police chases are dangerous, but when you look beyond the so-called "non-violent" reasons for pursuits and look to see who is being chased, it's a much different picture.

:-D But feel how you want to feel. ;-)

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

They don't usually chase stolen cars in the UK, high speed persuits are very very rare. They figured the cost to lives wasn't worth the risk. So instead what they do is low profile persuits, and they generally pick up the criminals once they've gotten bored of the joy ride.

Plus they figured a lot of the time people were stealing the cars specifically to have the thrill of the police chase. So by not doing the high speed persuit, they actually cut the numbers of cars being stolen.