CNN reports
How police chases really work
Capt. Travis Yates of the Tulsa, Ok., police department moderates the Policedriving.com Web site. A high-speed chase, Yates said, is one of the few times when police officers will knowingly put the lives of innocent civilians at risk. Because of the high risk, he said, many municipalities now ban chases except in cases where the suspect is clearly dangerous and cannot be apprehended any other way. |
San Francisco Chronicle's Open Forum
Police-pursuit bill misses the point
California's Senate Bill 719, at best, is an after-the-fact piece of legislation: after a child is killed, after a young father is facially disfigured for life from a fiery crash, after a mother and three teens are killed in a pursuit through a school zone at 3 p.m., or after a baby's arm is severed. These are real-life tragedies of police chases gone very badly awry in California. And yes, the families of these victims blame the people who flee for these tragedies. But just as true, Californians deserve a more preventive measure to ensure that our pursuit policies and practices will be followed in order to save lives. |