High speed chases: should the police continue them?

[Radar Chief]

It started with this.

http://www.kmbz.com/Driver-killed-af...chase/18166251
Posted: Monday, 13 January 2014 1:30PM

Driver killed after high-speed police chase

A police chase involving Independence police ended in a deadly wreck in Kansas City on Monday morning.

Kansas City police say Independence police had been involved in a high-speed chase with a silver vehicle, after an officer saw the car speeding. The officer reportedly ended the chase at 23rd and Wheeling Avenue, but came upon the wreck at 23rd and Hardesty. The suspect car had crashed into a second car just after 10:30 a.m. The driver of the second vehicle was killed and two passengers were seriously injured in the wreck.

The driver who was involved in the chase has been taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Listening to political talk radio it went from there to blaming the police for continuing to chase a guy that obviously wasn’t pulling over. Then this morning I see this article.

http://www.kmbz.com/pages/18171922.p...entId=14529141
Posted: Tuesday, 14 January 2014 4:54AM

Questions remain about the Independence police chase policy

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - A Kansas City attorney says Independence Police need to make some big changes.

Sean Pickett represented a family who lost it's teenage son struck, by a suspect in a chase along Noland Road in 2007. He says Independence Police have a reputation for high speed pursuits, even for minor infractions.

"A lot of it has to do historically with some of the crimes that they've been trying to fight over the years, but they still have to adapt crime enforcement to safety for the public. Which I don't think they've done a good job at," says Pickett.

Pickett says lots of Independence officers want the policy changed. The non-profit group, 'Pursuit Safety,' claims over 90% of police chases nationwide are for non-violent crimes and at least 35% end with crashes.

So what is the Planets take, should police continue chasing someone who’s only known crime is speeding or should they back off and let the chips fall where they may?

[Eleazar]

Why wouldn't everyone run, then?

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by Cochise

Why wouldn't everyone run, then?

Exactly. At one time KCPD, on the Kansas side I think, had orders not to chase motorcycles.
Motorcycle Drag Racing buddy told me about it and it apparently stemmed from an issue similar to this case where the cops started to pull a kid on a motorcycle over, he ran and ended up wrapping his bike, and himself, around a light pole.
The result was the bikers lost all respect for the cops, would run around doing whatever shenanigans they wanted knowing that when the cops showed up all they had to do was pin the throttle, scatter and the cops couldn’t chase them.

[Demonpenz]

Who the **** would want to be a cop if you could never do cool shit.

[Bowser]

I think it depends on the venue. Highly populate residential areas aren't safe for the high speed chase. Get on the radio and coordinate with other officers in the area. Highways are a different matter. JMO.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I think it depends on the venue. Highly populate residential areas aren't safe for the high speed chase. Get on the radio and coordinate with other officers in the area. Highways are a different matter. JMO.

This + they need to consider the crime, fleeing the liquor store with a case of beer and a carton of smokes?

Let'em go for now.

[Dunit35]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I think it depends on the venue. Highly populate residential areas aren't safe for the high speed chase. Get on the radio and coordinate with other officers in the area. Highways are a different matter. JMO.

It always depends on the circumstances. Roads aren't safe, lots of traffic, pedestrians, etc. If all of that criteria isn't good then it gets cancelled pretty quick.

Only pursuit I've been in so far involved a moron illegal immigrant not turning his headlights on. The entire chase went about 10-15 blocks at a whopping 35-40 mph.

[Dartgod]

Back off.

[philfree]

I'm surprised there isn't a GPS chip installed in license plates by now. Or the inspection sticker. On new cars maybe the VIN plate has one in it. Or the keys! Don't need to chase them just track'em by satellite.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by philfree

I'm surprised there isn't a GPS chip installed in license plates by now. Or the inspection sticker. On new cars maybe the VIN plate has one in it. Or the keys! Don't need to chase them just track'em by satellite.

The problem then becomes, who was doing the actual driving?
Lets say you loan your rig to your crazy brother Earl so he can go to a "job interview", which has the whole family excited that he's actually looking for work so you can't say no.
While you're at home quietly eating Cheetos and watching porn your crazy brother Earl runs from the cops then returns your rig to your driveway saying nothing. Next day the cops come knocking on your door. What are you going to do, show them the cheese dust caked on your peen as proof you stayed home? How do they know you're not Iranian and that cheese dust isn''t 60 years old?

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

The problem then becomes, who was doing the actual driving?
Lets say you loan your rig to your crazy brother Earl so he can go to a "job interview", which has the whole family excited that he's actually looking for work so you can't say no.
While you're at home quietly eating Cheetos and watching porn your crazy brother Earl runs from the cops then returns your rig to your driveway saying nothing. Next day the cops come knocking on your door. What are you going to do, show them the cheese dust caked on your peen as proof you stayed home? How do they know you're not Iranian and that cheese dust isn''t 60 years old?

Well that would certainly be my first response....

[philfree]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

The problem then becomes, who was doing the actual driving?
Lets say you loan your rig to your crazy brother Earl so he can go to a "job interview", which has the whole family excited that he's actually looking for work so you can't say no.
While you're at home quietly eating Cheetos and watching porn your crazy brother Earl runs from the cops then returns your rig to your driveway saying nothing. Next day the cops come knocking on your door. What are you going to do, show them the cheese dust caked on your peen as proof you stayed home? How do they know you're not Iranian and that cheese dust isn''t 60 years old?

Yeah but between the radio and cell phone and the address the GPS chip is registered to you could probably have a unit waiting at their house when the car arrived home. Of course you could just track them and follow at a distance and have other units head them off.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by philfree

Yeah but between the radio and cell phone and the address the GPS chip is registered to you could probably have a unit waiting at their house when the car arrived home. Of course you could just track them and follow at a distance and have other units head them off.

Like the old saying “you can’t outrun Motorola”.

[007]

Originally Posted by philfree

I'm surprised there isn't a GPS chip installed in license plates by now. Or the inspection sticker. On new cars maybe the VIN plate has one in it. Or the keys! Don't need to chase them just track'em by satellite.

Oh wouldn't that just be lovely. Better not EVER let anyone else drive a car registered in your name. Mechanics included.

I can see it now. Drop off my car at the local mechanic. They take it out for diagnostic testing. Get tracked speeding. Ticket comes in the mail to my house and I have no way to prove it wasn't me driving.

Or, your wife is out driving and gets tracked. Ticket goes in your name and not hers. Insurance rates increase because you are a man.

Yeah, dumb idea.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by Guru

Oh wouldn't that just be lovely. Better not EVER let anyone else drive a car registered in your name. Mechanics included.

I can see it now. Drop off my car at the local mechanic. They take it out for diagnostic testing. Get tracked speeding. Ticket comes in the mail to my house and I have no way to prove it wasn't me driving.

Or, your wife is out driving and gets tracked. Ticket goes in your name and not hers. Insurance rates increase because you are a man.

Yeah, dumb idea.

I still think if they were going to do anything about stuff like this it should be done through the "black boxes" that they are putting in the new cars these days. They could simply shut the engine off or limit the amount of fuel that goes to the engine causing the car to not do more than idle. This is not that hard to accomplish.