Cop chases: Rolling the dice with innocent lives
Let's say the police chase two men into a crowded shopping mall and then, when there a lot of people standing around, the cops open fire on the two. Let's say five or six innocent bystanders catch a bullet.
So it is with police chases. The decision to pursue a suspect at high speeds on public roads is sort of like shooting into a crowd. You don't know who's going to get hit.
On the other hand, does that mean when a suspect runs, the police should just let him go? Wouldn't all offenders run? What if a particular bad guy -- one the police decided not to chase -- later kills an innocent person during a robbery? Could the police have prevented that crime?
To pursue or not to pursue is a tough decision that must be made in an instant. So what would happen if police just stopped chasing people? See today's Bill Torpy at Large.
About the Author
Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.
