Shock Study: Police Chases Over Minor Traffic Infractions Kill Thousands of Innocent Bystanders

Posted by Zenphamy 9 years, 9 months ago to Government
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So it's not enough that the Police shoot us with guns and taser us to death. Now we're finding out how many times they run over us with their cars.
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"On average, according to the report, one person every day is killed during a high-speed chase.

To put this into perspective, that’s larger than the number of people killed by floods, tornadoes, lightning and hurricanes — combined.

Contrary to popular thinking, high-speed chases aren’t only dangerous for those involved. Innocent bystanders are all too often the victims of these reckless pursuits.

According to the report, more than 5,000 bystanders and passengers have been killed in police car chases since 1979. Tens of thousands more were injured as officers repeatedly pursued drivers at high speeds and in hazardous conditions.

Aside from the 5,000 completely innocent lives lost, an additional 6,300 fleeing ‘suspects’ were also killed, bringing the total to 11,506 dead since 1979. Even this shockingly large number is likely an understatement, according to the report. The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) uses police reports to determine if a crash is chase related, and many of the reports do not disclose that a chase had occurred at all."

And:
"Earlier this month we reported on the story of Bill McIntyre, who was mowed down by a police officer as he was leaving a bar.

In June, Detroit cops refused to stop the pursuit of a man who led them into a neighborhood where children were playing. Police forced the man to lose control and sent him flying into a yard occupied by two young children, Mikiah and Michael Angelo Jackson. They were killed instantly.

Why were police dangerously pursuing a man into a residential area? The suspect had failed to show up for his parole meeting."

And:
"According to a report from the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Institute of Justice, a whopping 91 percent of high-speed chases (edit) are in response to non-violent crime; most of which involve only minor traffic infractions."

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But it must be a lot of fun and a big adrenaline rush to chase them down with those hotrod cruisers. Boy, I'll show em I can drive---huh.

Edit note. Last sentence added the end of the sentence. Thanks Salty

Edit 2 Note: The USA Today Study: http://www.usatoday.com/longform/news...


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  • Posted by 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Herb; if it was just a tiny minority, the numbers and examples wouldn't be so horrific. I apologize for not finding the actual study before I posted this summary report. Please check out the USA Today study: http://www.usatoday.com/longform/news...

    You'll get more info to go on.
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  • Posted by 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    And no one get's hurt. Amazing that a cop thought of that, oh, it wasn't a cop's thought.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    You must be referring to that police quota that PR isn't a quota for it being secret quota quota.
    Yeah, I heard about that quota ain't a quota is a quota in the middle of the previous century.
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  • Posted by $ jdg 9 years, 9 months ago
    I'm not at all surprised. This practice should have been banned years ago.

    Here in Sacramento the cops have a workaround that works quite well: call in the media! Several times I've seen the police give up but have the channel 3 traffic copter follow the bad guy to his destination, on live TV. Then the cops move in. Works like a charm.
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  • Posted by scojohnson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I'm pretty sure these guys act far differently amongst themselves than they do in front of the public... It attracts a certain type of person to the career (control-freak, etc.).. The 'desire to serve' really isn't a factor I'm pretty sure.
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  • Posted by wiggys 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    allosaur,
    all of the younger generation on this web site and in general will have many more years to deal with this type of situation as well other situations that implemented by people who have a 2nd grade education which is as good as it gets in this country. all of the police are told they have a quota and to fill it at any expense they deem necessary other wise they will not get their share.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    At age 68, I estimate I've been given a ticket 35% of the times I've been pulled over by a cop.
    Always be courteous and polite. It saves money. I figured that out as a teenager.
    You can't outrun a police radio.
    I support law and order.
    I do not support bystanders put at risk, especially if there is enough information to arrest the dude later.
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  • Posted by scojohnson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I support law and order, and I think most of this would go away if people just complied with a lawful order. But I get confused as to why an officer can / does "order" someone to get out of their car for a traffic stop (for example), you have to wonder... if they would have just taken the license & insurance, went back to their car and wrote a ticket - it would be fine. Instead, it always seems like they are quick to escalate a situation. Who cares if they get less than fully-rescpectful treatment, they just stopped someone that is pissed that they are now going to pay $500 in a ticket and deal with the BS of it. If tickets were still $50, I don't think people would be so pissed off in general about it and it wouldn't be a tense situation.

    The local governments create their own messes. And I certainly don't feel 'safer' as a result.
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  • Posted by scojohnson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I agree. I don't think race has anything to do with it either, they just happen to have a media megaphone that whites don't have access to.
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  • Posted by scojohnson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    That is actually a big part of it... its one of the last careers that are relatively high-paying, retire in 20 years, and basically requires a high school diploma.

    They need to serve in the military overseas (to see what real violence and societal collapse looks like), 4 years in college to see mistakes that people make, and then a much shorter time in police academy that emphasizes the law, not push-ups and take-down tactics.
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  • Posted by scojohnson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I think it's a problem in urban areas where the police academies are highly militarized (think a full year of basic training) and the cops themselves only come to work in tactical gear.

    If you dress the part, it tends to attract a certain type of control-freak I think. Scale them back to a revolver, dress uniforms, regular shoes, and the bus driver cap in a sedan instead of the urban-assault SUV, and I think the problem takes care of itself.

    It's a reason I'm leaving California... I really want a simpler life. Retirement beckons in only about 7 years.
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  • Posted by bsmith51 9 years, 9 months ago
    Sarcasm Loading; Please Wait....
    Dude, governments' got big revenue plans that trump little people.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 9 months ago
    I'm having a real hard time with this story. A number of friends and one relative are in law enforcement. I cannot even imagine them acting in this way.. Are there any statistics that show what percentage overall of police act in this manner? All the police I know are the types who would fit very nicely into the Gulch. Are these stories sensationalized and represent a tiny minority or has this become endemic to law enforcement?
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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 9 years, 9 months ago
    No one said all cops are are smart. The video cams need telephoto capability so that the license number can be easily read, just in case the cop can't remember it. No need (or excuse) for any chase except in cases of violent offenders.
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  • Posted by $ Radio_Randy 9 years, 9 months ago
    I must have missed something...how does "one person per day" amount to "thousands" killed by high speed chases?
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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 9 years, 9 months ago
    Another example of police brutality, although I ignore completely the majority fleeing suspects killed as irrelevant.

    We are in/headed for a police state, and it is not about race. The poor minorities are the canary in the coal mine.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 9 years, 9 months ago
    I've been seeing more battering rams (whatever you call those attachments) on the front of police cars lately.
    I know if I don't stop for that ticket it'll be demolition derby time.
    As for my walking on a sidewalk, old dino ain't as quick on his feet as he used to be.
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  • Posted by 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I just tried the link provided at the bottom of the page and it went straight to the article. I haven't located the actual study yet and will pursue that later today.
    I'm not as convinced as you that which car struck an innocent is necessarily more important as is the original purpose for initiating the stop and why it's important enough to continue at high speeds through towns and residential areas. The police will have the license plate # and for traffic infractions, can easily track down and investigate without endangering anyone. Is this about revenue generation, a dangerous incident, a stolen vehicle, a bank robber, a known murderer, etc, or is it about the ego of a cop or control of citizens?
    From personal experience, with three brothers lying in an ER and my automobile completely smashed, being T-boned by a cop in Grand Junction, CO chasing a kid on a motorcycle for a loud muffler, running a stop sign in a residential area with no lights or siren, at a high enough speed to push my car some 150ft sideways until stopped by a curb--I can say I wasn't upset with the kid on the motorcycle.
    The article does state that 29 of the 68 police reported killed in duty during 2015 have died from automobile crashes.
    A quote from the article, I think important:
    "It is more important that innocence should be protected, than it is, that guilt be punished; for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world, that all of them cannot be punished…. when innocence itself, is brought to the bar and condemned, especially to die, the subject will exclaim, ‘it is immaterial to me whether I behave well or ill, for virtue itself is no security.’ And if such a sentiment as this were to take hold in the mind of the subject that would be the end of all security whatsoever. -John Adams"
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