NCJ Number
76847
Date Published
1980
Length
0 pages
Annotation
For law enforcement personnel, this film illustrates the dangers and injuries that result far too frequently to innocent bystanders caught up in high-speed police chases.
Abstract
Although police departments usually do not keep statistics of police crashes because they do not want to be liable for lawsuits, high-speed police chases kill hundreds of individuals in and out of uniform and seriously injure thousands more every year. Whether or not the chase is worth the danger is a question that is examined in this film. Interviews with two permanently disabled victims who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time are presented, showing the tragic effects of hot pursuits that have gone out of control. Special attention is devoted to training efforts aimed at solving this problem, such as the National Academy of Police Driving in Dallas, Tex., which trains police in the art of slow pursuit, called slow-chase training. Officers learn to increase the efficiency of their chase without increasing their speed, to stay on a suspect's trail without endangering the general public, and to recognize when the pursuit becomes more dangerous than it is worth. Police are taught to engage in pursuits only when it is absolutely necessary. The film emphasizes that police officers' attitudes must change if the dangers of hot pursuits are to be eliminated. (Author abstract modified)