No Mercy

I don't have the mind of a criminal.  If a cop turned his lights on wanting me to pull over, I could never make the mental leap to consider running.  Those who do have very little intelligence.  With multiple cops armed with radios and helicopters, it is so rare that a chase could ever end in the getaway of the criminal.  Yet, they run.  Many times the outcome of that chase is the pain and suffering of innocent people.  I believe the runner should be held responsible for pain, injury and even the death of any innocent bystander caught up in a police chase.

Our society appears to be shifting the blame to the police.  They say that apprehension of a criminal is never worth the life of an innocent bystander.  I agree, but that is not the point.  If the police don't chase criminals, criminals will always run.  That cannot be in the best interest of society.  Yes, we would have fewer deaths caused by police chases, but the trade-off is more criminals on the streets doing what criminals do.  The police are not to blame for innocent deaths - the criminal is.

A recent event in Kansas City illustrates the pain a suffering one stupid criminal can do when they decide to run.  You can view the dashcam video here.  I do not believe anyone was killed, but several were injured.  I believe the voice heard after the crash is that of the criminal, whining about his broken leg.  I get some satisfaction in imagining a Dirty Harry vintage cop stepping on his leg and twisting.  "How's that feel punk!"   yeah, I couldn't be a cop either.