🚀 go-pugleaf

Summary:

|From: dci@gte.net

          <no countersolutions offered, only name calling>


|From: MJay 45 <mjay45.tgcccn@tgcccn.campus.mci.net>
|
|>So we teach the criminals that if they don't feel like stopping they
|>should aim their vehicle at the nearest schoolyard or crowded walkway? I
|>have a better solution; throw them in jail for a very long, long time
|      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|>and send the message that if you flee from the police you will be a
|>little old man before you see daylight again. 

Fails to offer a solution as to how the high speed chase was resolved. Unless
the technology exists to apprehend criminals before they commit a crime
and flee, Mr MJay45 has offered no solutions either.


|From: SgtRock@sgtrock.com (Sergeant Rock)
|>
|>The best method of stopping these scumbags is to vaporize them on the
|>spot before they are able to hurt innocent citizens.
|
|From ***BajaRat***@ix.netcom.com
|>
|>When high speed chases become too dangerous and the risk to the public
|>becomes too great the chased vehicle and occupant/s should be quickly
|>blasted, pal. Taken out of commission altogether. Pursued crooks
|>seldom start driving like little old ladies after a pursuit is called
|>off. The bazooka method eliminates the threat to the public instantly.

If military grade weaponry is the solution, why is it not being implemented?

|From: pwork@geocities.com (Paul Kraczkowski)
|>
|>This is amazing . To a visitor to your fair city I cannot beleive a man can 
|>come rob a bank kill someone rape a woman, jump in his car run thru traffic at 
|>a high rate of speed crash his car into someone and you all blame the police.  
|>This is amazing. How about something really dumb like blaming the criminal.

Somebody is following up before reading the entire post. When the criminial
is being chased for violent crimes, there is a serious possibility that
another person may get hurt if they're allowed to escape. It's the risk of
engageing in high speed pursuits over non-violent offenses that must be
weighed before a decision is made to put lives at risk. Read before respond-
ing. It's really not that hard.

|From: jafo@cheetah.net (Jafo)
|   <More name calling. No contributions. Just wasting bytes.>


The tally so far: There are several camps...

(1) Use bazookas, 20mm cannons, etc. to blow away crooks and avoid high
    speed chases all together. Again, if the solution is so clear cut,
    why is it not being implemented? Hint: Excessive risk to the public.

(2) This camp tries to change my argument from "weigh the risks before
    beginning a high speed pursuit" to "let all criminals go" and then
    attacks the latter (ficticious) statement. The classic straw man
    offensive.

(3) Lock criminals away for life so they won't initiate a high speed chase.
    This camp dodges the problem of how to resolve the initial high speed
    chase, before the criminal is locked away.

(4) The lock-em-up-before-they-commit-a-crime camp. Not at all realistic.
    Requires mind-reading capability or time machines.

(5) The I'm-right-you're-wrong-just-because-so @#$%! you camp. Nothing more
    needs to be said about these people. They dismiss themselves quite 
    nicely.

My opinion (stated again after camp (2) rewrote it): Police need to evaluate
    the risk to the public of beginning a high speed chase in the pursuit
    of criminals who have committed *non-violent* (that means no rape, no
    assault with a deadly weapon, no murder, i.e. no people were hurt) crimes
    before puting innocents at risk. Recovering a stolen car is not worth
    a person's life. Even many police departments put out public service
    messages telling Joe Citizen to "cooperate with a criminal and hand over
    our wallet or car keys. They're not worth your life." Cops need to some-
    times consider taking their own advice and not chase that car at 100mph
    for expired tags. No I'm not saying let all criminals get away. No I'm
    not telling women to cooperate with a rapist. I'm saying evaluate the
    risks of a pursuit before committing to it. It's a tough choice to be
    sure. There is no perfect solution. But the motto of the police is to
    "serve and to protect." In other words, public safety must always be
    their number one concern, and not necessarily always getting their man
    at any cost.

Good day to you all gentelmen.

-- 
Bruce James Robert Linley |  +---+---+--_  | "Tea is always bitter... but
linley@netcom.com         |  |   |NV | UT  |       blood is warm and sweet."
Programmer, Fortunet Inc. |  \ CA \  |___  | 
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA ----------> \*| AZ  | - Miyu