NationStates Jolt Archive

We've probably all seen it in the news. Some car thief leading the police on a high-speed chase through residential neighborhoods and busy streets. Often the result is one or more auto accidents. My question is this. Should the police be allowed to pursue a car thief at high speed when the likelyhood of an auto accident is high, or should they break off the pursuit and let a helicopter watch the stolen car until it stops? Does recovering a car and prosecuting a thief justify the risk of killing one or more bystanders?

Some departments have different policies on this.

In some places, the person fleeing must have just committed a violent felony (murder, etc). In others, you can't chase anyone in a car.

And not all jurisdictions have a helicopter available.

What I think would be easier would be a remotely operated kill switch in every car, keyed to your registration. That way, the police in any situation where they can see you can kill the engine.

I've never seen it anywhere else except in America. Is that my lack of wider knowledge or is it because it's only an American syndrome?

I've never seen it anywhere else except in America. Is that my lack of wider knowledge or is it because it's only an American syndrome?

I've seen plenty of videos of chases that occurred in the UK. Probably not as frequent in the UK, but it still happens.

I've seen plenty of videos of chases that occurred in the UK. Probably not as frequent in the UK, but it still happens.

Okay. Maybe it's a Western syndrome. East Asians do it better. Either they have really smart and safe plans of rounding them up further down the road (like in Hong Kong), run away (seen one case in Japan), or just don't care (occurs very frequently in Mainland China).

Therefore, except for the original victims, nobody gets hurt! Isn't that just brilliant! :D

Car chases happen here sometimes. Theres been various 'motorway patrol' reality shows on tv which usually contains a few chases.

What I think would be easier would be a remotely operated kill switch in every car, keyed to your registration. That way, the police in any situation where they can see you can kill the engine.
I have a big problem with that kind of "Big Brother" approach to car theft.

As an alternative, why not have an inline fuel line lock (saw them in a catalog YEARS ago) that takes a separate key? You lock it and the engine stalls out after a few hundred yards due to gas starvation.

As an extension to that, maybe car manufacturers could build in a remote fuel line lock (in higher-end cars) that is keyed to the remote keyless entry fob that a lot of cars come with. The theif could still break in and start the car, but the fuel line lock would stay locked and the car would stall from gas starvation.

All in all, I'd much prefer some kind of user-based solution as opposed to a police control solution.

It happens in Canada too...sometimes with fatal consequences. I recall a case (http://edmonton.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ed_fatality20050307) a few years back in Edmonton, Alberta where a cop in an unmarked car, no lights or siren T-boned another car during a pursuit, killing a kid and injuring the grandfather driving. If you read that link though, this particular officer seemed to be pretty screwed up from other events. In any case, it is definately a problem. As WL pointed out, some jurisdictions only allow these kinds of chases under certain circumstances. Car theft alone, I believe, is not worth risking killing innocent bystanders in a chase.

In NZ, due to a couple that ended badly (innocents dead due to head-ons), they now have rules regarding car chases. From what I remember, if it's in Suburbia and it gets over a certain speed limit and/or there is a danger to others, the police are meant to pull back and let them go. Attempt to block them and shred their tires further up the road.

And sorry, I can't resist:
Police and thieves in the streets
Oh yeah!
Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition
Police and thieves in the street
Oh yeah!
Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

Which version do you prefer? The Clash or Junior Murvin? Me personally I really can't say. Both versions are great.

In NZ, due to a couple that ended badly (innocents dead due to head-ons), they now have rules regarding car chases. From what I remember, if it's in Suburbia and it gets over a certain speed limit and/or there is a danger to others, the police are meant to pull back and let them go. Attempt to block them and shred their tires further up the road.

And sorry, I can't resist:
Police and thieves in the streets
Oh yeah!
Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition
Police and thieves in the street
Oh yeah!
Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

Which version do you prefer? The Clash or Junior Murvin? Me personally I really can't say. Both versions are great.I'm more of a Junior Murvin fan when it comes to this song. Hey, do you know if the song was produced by Lee "scratch" Perry? I think it might have been but I can't remember.

I'm more of a Junior Murvin fan when it comes to this song. Hey, do you know if the song was produced by Lee "scratch" Perry? I think it might have been but I can't remember.
It was on one of Perry's "Arkology reel" CDs, so I assume it must have been. I think most of Junior's work was produced by Perry. I could be wrong of course.

The Police have, at times, backed off when the driver becomes too reckless. the Police also have tools and equiptment to end the chases (Spike strips)
chases occure world wide, but may not always be televised like they are in America and other Western States.

It was on one of Perry's "Arkology reel" CDs, so I assume it must have been. I think most of Junior's work was produced by Perry. I could be wrong of course.
Thanks. Perry is a weird sumbitch. He gives some odd interviews.

We've probably all seen it in the news. Some car thief leading the police on a high-speed chase through residential neighborhoods and busy streets. Often the result is one or more auto accidents. My question is this. Should the police be allowed to pursue a car thief at high speed when the likelyhood of an auto accident is high, or should they break off the pursuit and let a helicopter watch the stolen car until it stops? Does recovering a car and prosecuting a thief justify the risk of killing one or more bystanders?

Usually the person fleeing in the car has done something more than just steal the car. In most cases they've just committed armed robbery or murder. I don't think a car thief would attempt a high speed getaway; it would defeat the purpose of stealing the car to get it totalled.

Usually the person fleeing in the car has done something more than just steal the car. In most cases they've just committed armed robbery or murder. I don't think a car thief would attempt a high speed getaway; it would defeat the purpose of stealing the car to get it totalled.
When I was younger and dumber I tried to flee because I didn't want a speeding ticket. After I tried a bunch of twists and turns and the cop was still on my tail I stopped, and he took pity on me and didn't charge me with evading.

When I was younger and dumber I tried to flee because I didn't want a speeding ticket. After I tried a bunch of twists and turns and the cop was still on my tail I stopped, and he took pity on me and didn't charge me with evading.

Hahahahahaha :D

Okay, aside from a few isolated cases, the people fleeing in high speed chases have just committed serious crimes.

Usually the person fleeing in the car has done something more than just steal the car. In most cases they've just committed armed robbery or murder. I don't think a car thief would attempt a high speed getaway; it would defeat the purpose of stealing the car to get it totalled.crimes that result in a High Speed Persuit.. (from Worlds Scariest Police Chases, Real T.V, Max TV. and other similar shows.)
Possession of Drugs
Fear... (of getting Ticket, getting arrested, or just plain adrenaline)
Expired... (Licence, tags, Safty check)
Car Thieft (including Joyriding)
Driving under the influence... (Drugs, Alcohol)
Previous Warrant
and sometimes they think they can just outrun the police.

We've probably all seen it in the news. Some car thief leading the police on a high-speed chase through residential neighborhoods and busy streets. Often the result is one or more auto accidents. My question is this. Should the police be allowed to pursue a car thief at high speed when the likelyhood of an auto accident is high, or should they break off the pursuit and let a helicopter watch the stolen car until it stops? Does recovering a car and prosecuting a thief justify the risk of killing one or more bystanders?

High speed pursuits have little to do with apprehending car thieves, and much to do with providing bored policemen a cheap legal thrill.

When I was younger and dumber I tried to flee because I didn't want a speeding ticket. After I tried a bunch of twists and turns and the cop was still on my tail I stopped, and he took pity on me and didn't charge me with evading.Heh... I saw one chase where the fleeing person used her turn signals before making a turn.

High speed pursuits have little to do with apprehending car thieves, and much to do with providing bored policemen a cheap legal thrill.or with people thinking they can outrun the police... turning what could be a $25 ticket into jail time.

In Toronto there is a system whereby the pursuing officers have to call in and get a decision on whether or not to continue pursuit after a certain point. It seems to work, as it gets a calmer third party involved. Even with all their training, police officers can get all too easily wrapped up in the chase, and not question how extreme some of their actions can get in a high speed chase. Its just human nature. Often enough, when they call of the chase, the APB that goes with it helps another officer (sometimes in another jurisdiction) nab the offenders later, when they think they've gotten away.

I once shook a cop car off in a police chase, but only because I went through a new subdivision I'd been working in as a roofer....no finished houses, no other cars around, knew it like the back of my hand and had a car (and the driving skills to go with it) that let me take corners @ twice the speed the cop could take them without rolling his car. I parked the car out of sight in the underground garage of one of the bigger residences (it was just the foundation and basement level garage at that point) and waited, paranoid as hell for about 3 hours before slinking away around 5 in the morning. Both my passengers and myself had enough drugs on us to get us put away for a least a couple years. It was a VERY stupid gamble to choose to outrun the cop and I think a lot of my success had to do with luck.

Life is much simpler for me now that I don't break the law (well, except for speeding that is)

In Toronto there is a system whereby the pursuing officers have to call in and get a decision on whether or not to continue pursuit after a certain point. It seems to work, as it gets a calmer third party involved. Even with all their training, police officers can get all too easily wrapped up in the chase, and not question how extreme some of their actions can get in a high speed chase. Its just human nature. Often enough, when they call of the chase, the APB that goes with it helps another officer (sometimes in another jurisdiction) nab the offenders later, when they think they've gotten away.

I once shook a cop car off in a police chase, but only because I went through a new subdivision I'd been working in as a roofer....no finished houses, no other cars around, knew it like the back of my hand and had a car (and the driving skills to go with it) that let me take corners @ twice the speed the cop could take them without rolling his car. I parked the car out of sight in the underground garage of one of the bigger residences (it was just the foundation and basement level garage at that point) and waited, paranoid as hell for about 3 hours before slinking away around 5 in the morning. Both my passengers and myself had enough drugs on us to get us put away for a least a couple years. It was a VERY stupid gamble to choose to outrun the cop and I think a lot of my success had to do with luck.

Life is much simpler for me now that I don't break the law (well, except for speeding that is)
Once when I was about 19 I was driving some of my drunken friends back from a party at a house in a rural area. One of my friends, John, had picked some corn from a field next to the house. He was throwing it at signs and stuff on the way. He decided to throw an ear at an approaching car, which turned out to be a cop. Since the cop had to make a U-turn to follow us I sped up, got over a hill so he couldn't see us, made a right turn, and pulled into a driveway between two cars, killed the lights, and watched the police car roll right past me.