Quote:
Originally Posted by Salty Dog
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan
Is there video of the chase from genesis to termination? Are you certain that there were truly opportunities to stop the UPS box truck in a safer manner? Distance of the chase really is immaterial to me. Hell, we've had 100+ mile chases in Southern California. I'll reiterate that pursuits are unpredictable.
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I've been in pursuits that lasted less than a minute and over an hour. Nobody want's to be in one and when they are want them to stop as quickly and safely as possible. Folks always seem to think that they could do it better, regardless of their lack of experience and lack of training. Factor in weather, traffic, support, ability of the officers and their confidence in their ability. And then there's is the vehicle being pursued, the ability of the driver being pursued and all the other unpredictable factors that come up during these situations and the fact that the officers don't control any of this and can only respond as things unfold.
Being in a pursuit is not a track day, and any race car driver will tell you that pursuit driving is extremely difficult and dangerous.
This is similar to the guys who go to the range on the weekend and then are critical of the police in shootings because they didn't hit the target, never considering that it's different when someone is shooting at you vs you shooting a paper target. |
Very well said! Your range day analogy adds another layer of perspective as well.