By Doug Stevens
Assistant Opinions Editor
Last week the television program “COPS” ran an episode highlighting its 15 greatest moments. No. 1 was a high-speed chase that started in Pomona and crossed three different police jurisdictions. That particular chase ended relatively safely, with a minor collision and the apprehension of the suspect. Unfortunately, many police pursuits end in disaster and preventable tragedy.
In response to a series of recent civilian injuries and deaths, the Los Angeles Police Commission unanimously decided last Tuesday to limit the number of pursuits. The Los Angeles Police Department will no longer engage in pursuits that begin with a simple traffic infraction, such as running a red light or speeding.
Police chases occur all over the United States, but Los Angeles has experienced somewhat of an epidemic. Data collected by L.A.P.D. analysts show that between 1999 and 2001 the department averaged 670 pursuits a year. Approximately 37 percent of those pursuits resulted in collisions, which in turn lead to 479 injuries and nine deaths.
In June, a 4-year-old girl was killed by a falling traffic light which resulted from an L.A.P.D. pursuit collision. In March, an elderly couple was severely injured when struck by a car fleeing police. The two Holocaust survivors suffered head injuries and broken bones while taking their usual Saturday afternoon stroll to the Beverly Center mall. Their daughter, Stephany Yablow, says she is pleased with the police commission’s decision though her parents remain crippled by the injuries they received.
The change in policy represents a step in the right direction, but the problem of high-speed chases remains, as well as the dangers they pose. Under the new policy, police will continue to chase motorists being sought for misdemeanor or felony charges and whenever officers have reason to believe a crime is imminent.
As usual, the actions of the police are protected by the probable cause clause of the Fourth Amendment.
Police Commission President Rick Caruso originally favored a much more restrictive policy which would have eliminated the majority of chases, but after a Dec. 19 incident where alleged gang members fired dozens of rounds at L.A.P.D. officers pursuing them for speeding through a stop sign, he changed his tune. The probable cause loophole was then added to the new policy, providing officers with what Caruso called a “good faith exception.”
State law grants officers immunity from civil liability when conducting pursuits, a policy Yablow is desperately trying to amend. Armed with a license to destroy, maim and kill without consequence, these police units barrel down the crowded streets of greater Los Angeles in pursuit of speeding law breakers, often guilty of minor crimes.
There must be a better way to apprehend these racing outlaws. There are a plethora of automobile stopping gizmos and gadgets that have supposedly been under development for years. What happened to the remote engine stalling device that was said to disable the engine of a speeding vehicle with the ease and similar technology of a garage door opener? While police choppers and news helicopters compete for airspace above the speeding spectacle, why not arm them with high powered electromagnets? This way runaway cars could simply be picked up off the highway and dropped in a remote field with officers waiting, far from the traffic of the city. Anything is safer than an all-out chase.
As long as high speed pursuits are handled the way they are, they will continue to be a dangerous, deadly and twisted form of entertainment. America will never forget OJ Simpson’s infamous white Bronco being pursued by more than a dozen black and white police units, a handful of news helicopters, and hundreds of applauding onlookers. The high speed chase has forever been glamorized, thanks in part to the media and this country’s new found obsession with reality television. Shows like “COPS,” “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol” and even major news networks that will not hesitate to interrupt regularly scheduled programming to bring you live coverage all contribute to turning a serious problem into a sporting exhibition
But the ultimate responsibility lies in the hands of the pursuers. There is no room for one-eyed motorists on the crowded streets of Los Angeles, and while the police can clearly see the suspect they are pursuing, they are blind to the safety of innocent pedestrians and unsuspecting drivers.
January 16, 2003