Police Car Pursuits

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Police Pursuits : A Dangerous Tactic which Should Be Regulated

Everyone is familiar with the thrill of watching a televised police chase . From O .J . Simpson 's slow progress through downtown Los Angeles to the spectacular wrecks which make the evening news or interrupt Oprah The police pursuit has become an entertainment staple - a movie come to life , a tiny bit of excitement in an otherwise dull news day Unfortunately , there is a very real human cost to these chases - the chance of

death of the police officer , the suspect or innocent bystanders or other drivers is far too high for a commonplace policing tactic . Police vehicle pursuits should be limited in speed , and officers should be given clear guidelines on when to halt the pursuit , in to minimize the chance of danger to innocent bystanders as well as to themselves . Technology such as GPS tracking , vehicle tagging and satellite surveillance can be used to continue to track the suspect without endangering any of the participants or bystanders

Melton (2003 ) explains the entertainment value of the police pursuit The first televised police pursuit was in Los Angeles , in February 1992 An opportunistic helicopter news team caught the police chase of a suspected murderer on film , and KCOP started airing the footage over a rerun of "Matlock . Viewer response was instant and positive - when KCOP attempted to cut back to the show in progress , viewers called the station demanding that they return to the chase footage . A television news staple was born . Television stations began to outfit helicopter news teams , in to have them on-call when a long or newsworthy chase begins . Melton notes that out of the 5 ,000 to 6 ,000 police vehicle chases in California each year , less than 100 last longer than an hour indicating that there is fierce competition for coverage of these stories . Melton also ties the popularity of the real-life police chase to the popularity of the movie police chase . Groups on the Internet often track televised police pursuits , tuning in to watch through webcasts or other means

Melton (2003 ) also relates the human cost of police pursuits in Los Angeles . She cites the year 2001 , in which 781 pursuits occurred . Of these , 36 ended in collision 139 people were injured in attributes the high number of injuries , including a two month old baby who lost an arm when it 's parents car was involved in a pursuit-related crash , to the Los Angeles Police Department 's aggressive pursuit policy and a high number of policing authorities active in the city . However the news coverage itself may also hold some of the blame . Melton cites the case of a 1998 pursuit , in which the suspect unexpectedly shot himself in the head on air . Rather than not covering car chases anymore the news stations instituted a seven-second delay in to edit the footage and avoid airing more such events . Even though chases are often given intense coverage...