It is common for Hollywood to glamorise high speed police chases, often depicted with police vehicles speeding through the streets with sirens blaring and the offender always being caught without incidence, however this depiction could not be further from the truth with police chases often having serious consequences and the outcome often far from ideal. It is due to these less than ideal outcomes that the media and public at large often call for the practice to be banned or for further regulations to be imposed. This essay will look at police pursuits, it will explore their effectiveness and why they are initiated. It will also be asked whether the practice is safe for all those involved, police, offenders and the public at large. In conclusion it will be asked whether there is a viable alternative to high speed police pursuits and whether the practice should be allowed to be continued. It is first worth looking at the way a pursuit is defined, ‘Pursuit may be defined as an active attempt by a law enforcement officer on duty in a patrol car to apprehend one or more occupants of a moving motor vehicle, providing the driver of such a vehicle is aware of the attempt and is resisting apprehension by maintaining or increasing his speed or by ignoring the law enforcement officer’s attempt to stop him’ (May & Headley, 2008).
This is a quote from a Royal Canadian Mounted Police training video from an officer involved in a death relating to a high speed police pursuit “let’s face it, you’re driving around a big bullet, and it can kill...To take human life over a $40000 vehicle? It’s wrong for him to be there, it’s wrong for him to be in the stolen vehicle, it was wrong for him not to stop when he was initially instructed to stop, but it...
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As taught in the lectures, it is impossible for police officers to win the war against crime without bending the rules, however when the rules are bent so much that it starts to violate t...
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...is novel with an outstanding salute to those who serve in law enforcement saying, “And so I tip my hat to all the good cops throughout our nation who risk their lives and strive to do the right thing when facing split-second decisions about life and death every day in the kill zone” (Klinger, 2004, page 274). Pulling the trigger of a gun can cause a variety of issues both within and outside of a police officer’s life, but it could also potentially save another human being from harm and keep the safety of our society intact.
There has been a lot of statistics that have been recorded on the topic of police pursuits. In the 1998 Pennsylvania Police Pursuit Report, there were a total of 1,900 pursuits. The pursuits have raised from 1, 880 chases in 1997 to twenty more in 1998. Most of the pursuits did not end up in any type of collision. There was also a very small injury rate that was shown in...
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Over the years, this country has witnessed many cases of police brutality. It has become a controversial topic among communities that have seen police brutality take place in front of their homes. Officers are faced with many threatening situations everyday forcing them to make split second decisions and to expect the worst and hope for the best. Police officers are given the power to take any citizens rights away and even their lives. With that kind of power comes responsibility, that’s one major concern with the amount of discretion officers have is when to use force or when to use lethal force. The use of excessive force may or not be a large predicament but should be viewed by both the police and the community.
If you've ever seen a movie with a high speed chase, or footrace against the cops, where the person outsmarts the police and gets away; then you've most likely imagined yourself in the same action filled position. Then you sadly realize that this isn't real life, and if you were really being chased, you would most likely end up being caught. In most cases, this is the truth, but if you know a few crucial steps to outrunning the law, prior to the chase, than your chances of escaping will increase greatly.
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Law enforcement agencies across the nation engage in high-speed vehicle pursuits daily, which often result in property damage, serious injuries and even death. Approximately 1 out of every 100 pursuits ends death, with approximately 42 percent of the deceased being innocent bystanders (Hill, 2002). Police pursuits that end in death, injury, or even property damage impact the lives of many. When a pursuit ends in death or injury to an innocent party, this can cause drastic changes in the family and friends of not only the suspect involved, but also the innocent bystander or officer that was injured or even possibly killed (Schultz, Hudak & Alpert, 2010). This has caused concern among the public, but should also concern law enforcement
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