Why High-Speed Police Chases Are Going Away

[Nye Bevan]

Seems like good news to me.

Although they've provided plenty of fodder for reality TV, car chases by law enforcement are on the wane, and for good reason.

When things go wrong during police vehicular chases, the carnage is big news. In the past there were enough dash-cam images from disastrous law-enforcement pursuits to fill seasons of cheap, sensationalized TV shows, while live footage from helicopters made for some of the highest-rated shows on Los Angeles stations.

But things are changing. Almost all U.S. law enforcement agencies have adopted a restrictive pursuit policy, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Much to the dismay of TV executives, most cops will no longer conduct long chases that start when the officer tries to pull a motorist over for a broken taillight (though cops still chase suspected felons and other serious bad guys.) Before restrictive-pursuit policies, often the worst thing that officers found at the end of a chase was a suspended license, an ashtray full of seeds and stems, or empty beer cans in the pickup bed. Now, many law enforcement agencies have decided that it's not worth the danger when such chases could cause the death of the suspect, an officer, or an innocent.

Few who flee the police are violent felons. Instead, they are usually 20-something males with bad driving records. A classic California Highway Patrol study from the early 1980s showed that just 5 percent of those who fled from highway patrol officers had been charged with an armed offense previously, and just 0.3 percent had been convicted. And when chases end badly, taxpayers foot the bill for a multimillion-dollar ruling in court, worker's compensation costs from injured officers, and replacing expensive cruisers.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/_mobile/cars/news/vintage-speed/why-high-speed-police-chases-are-going-away-15532838?click=pp

[Mnemosyne]

1. Had one in my area a few months ago. Guy shoplifted an item at WallyWorld, chase ensued,

fiery crash., guy died. Luckily no one else was hurt. Does someone really deserve to die for stealing a $25 item?

[Laelth]

2. Yes, it's called tort law, and it works very well.

The primary function of tort law is to make the world a safer place. So, people like me (occasionally a tort attorney) sue when people do dangerous things. Sometimes, the things being done are so dangerous that, in order to send a powerful message to other people or businesses who behave dangerously, a jury or judge will award really big bucks. Plaintiff gets a windfall. I get a windfall, but that's what it takes to get the attention of big, powerful corporations and government entities. As a result, the world becomes safer.

Beware anybody who tells you they want to reform tort law. What they want, truly, is to avoid being held responsible for their actions.

-Laelth

[JimDandy]

3. So true. "Beware anybody who tells you they want to reform tort law.

What they want, truly, is to avoid being held responsible for their actions."