Catch & Release
High speed chases are risky to the public and to officers
Research by Candy Priano
Chase drivers who flee at 100+ mph, catch them and within 48 hours or less, they are back on the street to do it again ... and again ... until an innocent person or officer is killed or injured!
Fallen officer, CHP Officer Douglas Scott Russell, 46, is honored
Memorial bell rung for CHP vet; suspect was jailed in '92 for fleeing cops and fled again in December 5, 2006. Story in the Sacramento Bee. Date of pursuit: July 31, 2007.
Begs the question: "Why the chases?"
Suspects are sometimes released before officers finish their paperwork, or they are readily released on their own recognizance, or they get out on bail in less than 48 hours after being caught.
Begs another question: Aren't these suspects who flee flight risks?
Even when an innocent child is killed, we learned that some suspects go home with their mothers and end up spending as little as one year in juvenile hall. If we know many of these suspects don't spend time behind bars, certainly trained police officers know it, too.
Utah: High-speed chase ends with a familiar suspect in custody (Link no longer active)
Nearly one week after bonding out of the Salt Lake County jail, a 20-year-old man was accused Thursday of fleeing from Utah officers for the third time in a month - this time in a dramatic chase. Salt Lake Tribune, March 31, 2006
Indiana: Suspect in pursuit that left child pinned under van had fled police earlier (Link may not be active)
Posted on policeone.com - March 29, 2006
California's new law that increases penalties
Since January 2006 when our new pursuit law took effect, I have been tracking 4 suspects who were caught in 3 separate chases: Two were released on bail, 1 (a passenger with an air pistol and suspected in some burglaries) was released on his own recognizance and the 4th guy couldn't make bail. All four chases occurred in January and finally this month (March) they are having their court dates. (Update: May court dates were again postponed, so three of the four are still free.)
Delaware: Caught in another vehicle pursuit
Suspect arrested after a pursuit March 2, 2005. Suspect must have gotten out of jail because he then eluded police after a short vehicle pursuit November 29, 2005, and was caught on March 8, 2006, following another high-speed pursuit. It would be interesting to see how long he'll be in jail this time.
Indiana: Couple Involved in High Speed Chase Released from Jail
The two were driving a stolen truck when it collided with another truck at an intersection. Two innocent people in that car were taken to the hospital.
These officers stopped the chase and caught the suspect later in the day on Monday. The suspect was released less than 48 hours after making bail, so he could be caught again on Wednesday.
From the news story: Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force Commander Vic Lacey said a chase ensued and Hutler (the known suspect) ran several stop signs and stoplights before the chase was called off, with officers tailing him from a distance.
"Officers knew who he was," Lacey said. "It wasn't worth him running over someone."
But tailing someone from a distance is still in pursuit.
