Police Pursuits of Criminals Essay -- Criminal Crime Police Essays

Police Pursuits of Criminals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There has been a heated debate over the last few years whether police chases are worth the risk of public safety to catch a fleeing criminal. Each year these hot pursuits end in the arrest of thousands of criminals wanted for a wide array of crimes. At the same time it can cause injury and some times even death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a huge misconception that police are out chasing the red-light violator or the burned-out tail light criminal. This is not the case at all. They are protecting the community and chasing serious felons. That is why most cops defend their right to engage in these high-risk pursuits. No police officer wants to try to stop somebody that they believe is good for a crime just to let him walk away. If the person that is being chased is wanted for a crime, not that he is guilty, but just wanted for an investigation, then the police have every right to stop them and to do what is necessary to apprehend them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is also another side to police pursuits with its own troubling statistics. We know that when a pursuit begins it usually ends up causing accidents, injuries, and can some times even be fatal. Critics claim that most of these pursuits are unjustified. Some people say that the suspects flee because they don’t have insurance or their license is revoked. They also say most of them are young and act on impulse and make a bad decision to run. Sometimes it ends up killing innocent people that are in the wrong place at the wrong time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is the tragic human cost worth the price for high-speed pursuits? On one side of the debate are the people who believe that pursuits should be severely restricted and abolished altogether. They say the police car seems to be the last unregulated weapon in law enforcement’s arsenal. On the other side are the ones sworn to uphold the law and consider pursuits a necessary law enforcement tool. If you go to a no-pursuit law, you are giving a blanket for the criminals to commit any crime they want and law enforcement is not going to be able to do anything about it. They will run every time because they know they will not be chased. If a person fleeing has a chance of hitting pedestrians, then you need to stop that vehicle at all costs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the fatalities mount, no one can run from these issues, least of all the cop behind the wheel. It is safe to say ... ...ce department.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The law enforcement community understands the public concerns for safety and has developed better ways to help pursue fleeing criminals in recent years. One of the best tools now is air support. Helicopters can safely patrol from the sky and there is little chance that the vehicle or criminal can get away. The only problem is that it is very expensive to run. Road spikes have also become popular by puncturing the tires and bringing the vehicle to a crawl.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many people with different opinions about hot pursuits. The public needs to back the police up on this matter so the criminals know we are not going to tolerate this conduct in our community and when they do they can expect to be caught and punished for their actions. If we allow them to get away with this behavior we are only adding to the chaos that is in our society today. As of now there are no better ways of catching a suspect. If people are concerned about the risks of high-speed pursuits, then they need to contact their public leaders and help with funding for better tools like the helicopter. Until this happens police chases will have to continue to be conducted from the ground.