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Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields told her staff Friday the entire department would have a zero-chase policy effective immediately, sources confirmed to CBS46 News. Chief Shields indicated the policy will remain in place for the department until more policy decisions have been made. The move came in a staff email Friday that took aim at the judicial system.
Shields said in the email to her staff that she had to weigh the success of the chases the department engages in with, “the level of pursuit training received by officers who are engaging in the pursuits, the rate of occurrence of injury/death as a result of the pursuits and the likelihood of the judicial system according any level of accountability to the defendants arrested as a result of the pursuits.”
. . .
Chief Shields acknowledged in her email the decision, “will not be a popular decision; and more disconcerting to me personally, is that this decision may drive crime up.”
This is NOT the Onion.
Just when I thought that Democrats couldn't be more reckless, they go ahead and do this. And, yes, this is Democrat policy in Atlanta at the Atlanta PD is directly under the control of the mayor and such a decision could not be made without the blessing of the mayor.
Apparently, a vehicle chase led to an accident some weeks ago, where two people died. But that's why most normal police departments will decide to not engage in vehicle chases in highly populated areas during certain times of the day, etc. They don't decide to stop all chases, period.
Damn. This truly is a wicked policy that is asked for more death and destruction throughout the city
Police should’ve ended long chases years ago. They’re a cop anachronism. Atlanta police shouldn’t be acting out Smokey and the Bandit scenes around a crowded city. It’s dumb.
Don’t be so dramatic. I doubt any crime spike over this will even be measurable.
The chase puts everyone in the path in danger - the police doing the chase, bystanders, and the person being chased. And for what? To catch some dude who is joyriding?
My physician died sitting at a stop light during a police chase. Great guy with a little kid, actually a genius who was going to do great things. Yeah, I'm against them.
So chases can be dangerous. But they are often a necessary danger . . . newsflash: police work in general often presents a necessary danger. You can manage risk with chases (i.e. only engage at certain times of the day, in less populated areas, etc.) if necessary. Its the wholesale abandonment of chases that is ludicrous. Why does Atlanta think they have it "right?" There are larger cities than Atlanta that still conduct chases under the appropriate circumstances. And they are just fine.
The chase puts everyone in the path in danger - the police doing the chase, bystanders, and the person being chased. And for what? To catch some dude who is joyriding?
Policy like this is long overdue.
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Atlanta is far from the only city to enact this measure. Chases are extremely dangerous.
Methinks the OP has watched Bullitt too many times.
My physician died sitting at a stop light during a police chase. Great guy with a little kid, actually a genius who was going to do great things. Yeah, I'm against them.
This accident resulting from a Border Patrol chase was one helluva mess. This happened only a few miles from my house. I drove past the wreckage and it looked like a damn war zone. 2 people killed and multiple life threatening injuries.
The Border Patrol and Cochise County cops have updated their policies on chases after this happened because people were so outraged.
My physician died sitting at a stop light during a police chase. Great guy with a little kid, actually a genius who was going to do great things. Yeah, I'm against them.
And people have died caught in the middle of other necessary, yet dangerous police work. Does that mean we stop any policing work that could lead to potential loss of innocent life?
If there is a violent criminal on the loose and fleeing police who could pose a serious threat to life or limb to innocents if not apprehended, I submit not. Instead, I argue for taking measures that reduce risk to innocent bystanderss, such as (in the case of chases) only engaging (where feasible) in less populated areas and times of the day, etc.
This isn't an either or choice. That's false. Again, you can take steps to mitigate risk without a wholesale stop.
For those applauding this move, its not a permanent change (thank goodness), but is only in place until the PD can assess a better way of handling chases. I argue, however, that we already have such standards and this pause is unnecessary and foolish.
This accident resulting from a Border Patrol chase was one helluva mess. This happened only a few miles from my house. I drove past the wreckage and it looked like a damn war zone. 2 people killed and multiple life threatening injuries.
The Border Patrol and Cochise County cops have updated their policies on chases after this happened because people were so outraged.
If there is no reason to believe they are not an immediate danger to others I would agree but this is zero policy, someone robs a bank and shoots the teller. They are not going to try and apprehend them?
Futhermopre people may not run because they know they will be chased, by having a policy of not chasing them you are going to see a lot more people running.
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