NPR, All Things Considered
Police officers have to make complicated, split-second decisions every day — and whether or not to chase a fleeing suspect is no exception. And they often have to make this decision while driving a car at very high speeds.
Kansas City area police chief Steve Beamer says they don’t make it lightly. “We have to continually balance the need to apprehend that individual who chooses to flee against the safety of the public that may be at risk because of the pursuit,” Beamer says.
The risk is that the pursuit will cause a crash, killing police and innocent bystanders. Based on data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Kansas Department of Transportation and an analysis of news articles from the last 10 years, there have been at least 706 pursuit crashes that have killed at least 23 people in the Kansas City area in the last 10 years. Hundreds more were injured, including 11 police officers. Police consultant Chuck Drago says nationally between 300 and 400 people are killed each year because of pursuits.
Read more at: http://www.npr.org/2015/07/23/425598535/even-if-a-car-chase-will-help-police-nab-a-suspect-some-don-t