Pursuit Myths

Why more innocent people will be killed and injured.

Myth #1: If officers don't chase, everyone's going to run.

Research proves this statement is false.  People who flee are going to flee no matter what the policy.  People who will pull over appropriately today will do so tomorrow no matter what the policy. 

Supporting the fact that not everyone will run if officers don't chase are these three studies:
Review of Orlando (Fla.) PD's Restrictive Pursuit Policy
Results from the LAPD Review
Department of Justice Study

Fleeing drivers who are not chased will eventually be caught. "Abandoning the pursuit does not mean the officer stops apprehension efforts; rather, the officer initiates other resources to bring about the apprehension." —Lt. John Specht, Hillsboro, Oregon, PD.

Myth #2: There's a dead body in every trunk.

Research proves this myth is false. Ask yourself: When was the last time you reported on a chase and a dead body was in the trunk?

Myth #3: Drivers only run from police because they are murderers, rapists or pedophiles.

Research "debunks the myth" that most suspects chased by police are serious criminals, says Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina. "Most are deadbeats making stupid decisions to avoid being caught for not having a license or some offense that would be very minor compared to what happens when they initiate a pursuit." (Source: USA Today, Jan. 5, 2003)

Chases are also spawned for stolen cars, shoplifting and joy riding. Some are young teens who run because they fear their parents will be mad at them if they get a ticket. Other drivers flee because they may not have a driver’s license or have a suspended license, and others don’t have insurance or registration. The rest are low-level offenders who interact with the police on a daily basis. Therefore, officers can catch them when they are not behind the wheel of a car. (See Why they run?)

A Department of Justice Study and Dr. Geoffrey Alpert's book, "Police Pursuits: What We Know" reports that the unknown driver who flees is rarely a murderer, rapist or pedophile. 16.25% of the drivers who flee are violent felons and not all of them fall into one of the three categories mentioned.

Myth #4: It's just an accident.

Crimes committed with cars are becoming more common. Accidents are not premeditated. Pursuits occur when a person decides to flee and an officer decides to chase. People who flee are self-absorbed; they are not thinking about the safety of others. So, the burden to protect innocent victims, by necessity, falls on the police. "Car accident" is not accurate. The U.S. Department of Transportation uses the term "crash."

Myth #5: If officers don't chase, someone else might get killed.

Killing the innocent does not save lives. A chase does not stop a killing. In fact, it might be the cause of a death. "The most common terminating event in an urban pursuit is a crash, and that crash will most often occur at an intersection. There is no reason to believe a greater loss would occur from taking less risk." —Ret. Police Chief D.P. Van Blaricom, Bellevue, Washington.