When does a police chase have a positive outcome?
Every day, we hear in the news of a police chase, where the police pursue a motorist for one reason or another. The usual outcome is disastrous, although the police have cause to stop the motorist. Perhaps the driver is speeding and refuses to stop when the police car turns on its lights. Perhaps the police have spotted a license plate which is on their list of stolen cars. In yet another scenario, the police are pursuing a suspected bank robber. In any case, the minute a police chase is begun, all other motorists in the area are endangered.
Yet, we must remember that the person being pursued may present a menace to society. Is this driver drunk or on drugs, which endangers the general public? Is the vehicle being pursued holding a hostage? The question of the validity of a police chase is muddy water indeed.
It seems that the police chases that make the news invariably involve a terrible conclusion. If the pursued driver is so anxious to escape the police, he or she must have much to lose by being stopped. On the other hand, if the pursued driver is being chased because the vehicle is reported stolen, is it worth risking the lives of other motorists in a police chase that ends in a high-speed collision which results in the injury or death of innocent motorists?
One argument in favor of the no-holds barred pursuit is that the police are doing their job, protecting the public from dangerous persons on the road. The problem arises when innocent motorists become involved, only because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time when suspect Joe tries to flee.
What if suspect Joe is a guy without a driver’s license. He has no insurance. He can’t afford either. His tail lights aren’t working. Sure, he has no business being on the road. He’s on his way home in the wee hours from his minimum wage fast-food job. If the police stop him, he loses his car and his job. Suspect Joe is desperate. He’s a teenager and uses poor judgment. A police chase ensues, purportedly to stop a criminal. Joe speeds up and ends by losing control of his vehicle. Joe is dead. Did he deserve such a fate? What about the other motorists involved? Will they be happy to know that Joe is off the road?
Of course, perhaps there is some "Joe" out there on the road who does warrant a police chase. Let’s say Joe has kidnapped a child. This Joe must be stopped in order to rescue the child.
So where do you draw the line? When is a police chase justified? We, as citizens of the community, need to let our police force know where the boundaries lie.
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