Being as no innocent persons were harmed, I fail to see the problem, here. All the time, I see fktards driving without headlights after dark and during heavy rainstorms. They present a potential hazard to everyone due to their lack of visibility. Imagine pulling out of a side road where lighting conditions render a vehicle without illumination virtually invisible, then getting broadsided by a vehicle driven by such an idiot. No one held a gun to the driver’s head and made him run from the police. A passenger, upon failing to convince the driver to stop, could have turned the ignition off, pulled the emergency brake, or similar to cut this chase off and minimize risk, had they really wanted to. What was the reaction of the passengers? Likely encouraging and goading the driver on. The driver, not police, bears full responsibility for this tragedy.
No chase policies by departments only embolden people to drive recklessly and to run because they soon learn police will be forced to back off at the first creation of “unnecessary” risk.
How would you feel if a member of your family or close friend were killed by a reckless idiot driving without lights because police backed off when they offered to run? Potentially, it is “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” for police in this situation. I feel safer if they pursue these cruds and not encourage their reckless behavior.
Also, it needs to be codified into state law, you lead police on a vehicular chase above the speed limits (which they will almost all be), minimum 7 years with no parole, good time, or other early release, to be served CONSECUTIVELY with any other sentences connected to the case. Why was something like this not done decades ago?
Failure to stop first offense should not be a misdemeanor. This is part of the problem. Also, if you don’t run from law enforcement you won’t die in a crash running from law enforcement. Everyone wants the murderer, drug dealer, burglar, etc. off the street, just don’t want to see how it’s done. Many people in the category of the previous aforementioned offenses have been caught by law enforcement stopping cars for improper lights.
2 comments
Being as no innocent persons were harmed, I fail to see the problem, here. All the time, I see fktards driving without headlights after dark and during heavy rainstorms. They present a potential hazard to everyone due to their lack of visibility. Imagine pulling out of a side road where lighting conditions render a vehicle without illumination virtually invisible, then getting broadsided by a vehicle driven by such an idiot. No one held a gun to the driver’s head and made him run from the police. A passenger, upon failing to convince the driver to stop, could have turned the ignition off, pulled the emergency brake, or similar to cut this chase off and minimize risk, had they really wanted to. What was the reaction of the passengers? Likely encouraging and goading the driver on. The driver, not police, bears full responsibility for this tragedy.
No chase policies by departments only embolden people to drive recklessly and to run because they soon learn police will be forced to back off at the first creation of “unnecessary” risk.
How would you feel if a member of your family or close friend were killed by a reckless idiot driving without lights because police backed off when they offered to run? Potentially, it is “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” for police in this situation. I feel safer if they pursue these cruds and not encourage their reckless behavior.
Also, it needs to be codified into state law, you lead police on a vehicular chase above the speed limits (which they will almost all be), minimum 7 years with no parole, good time, or other early release, to be served CONSECUTIVELY with any other sentences connected to the case. Why was something like this not done decades ago?
Failure to stop first offense should not be a misdemeanor. This is part of the problem. Also, if you don’t run from law enforcement you won’t die in a crash running from law enforcement. Everyone wants the murderer, drug dealer, burglar, etc. off the street, just don’t want to see how it’s done. Many people in the category of the previous aforementioned offenses have been caught by law enforcement stopping cars for improper lights.