High Speed Chases
Ace and I disagree on this one. CNN:
It was the first time the high court has heard a case involving the use of deadly force in police chases, and federal appeals courts have been split on the issue. Under generally applied Supreme Court precedents, an officer must show a suspect poses a “significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others” before using deadly force.
And other federal courts have said officers can be stripped of qualified immunity from lawsuits if every “reasonable” law enforcement official would have known his actions were violating clearly established law.
Law enforcement groups argued a ruling against Scott would hamstring every police official, who often would have to make split-second decisions about whether to wait until someone gets hurt — including innocent victims or the officer himself — before they could stop escaping motorists.
Legal analysts said it was not surprising the conservative court under Chief Justice John Roberts was inclined to give officers the kind of discretion they have sought, particularly since 9/11.
What is the difference between this ruling and allowing a police officer to shoot a fleeing suspect in the back to stop them? Fleeing from the police, when brought to trial, does not end in the death penalty, nor in permanent crippling.
We watch COPS all the time. The PIT maneuver is frequently used to stop a fleeing suspect. The vehicle that the suspect is in, the police car, and other property and vehicles are often damaged by this. It also often injures the suspect. If my car is stolen, am I giving the police the right to total my car in an effort to catch the thief? How about if they PIT a car and it hits my house? Or my kid playing in the yard?
How about if the suspect is my twelve year old son, out joyriding? The police get to kill him, huh?
The real issue is whether or not the police should be pursuing this suspect. If I run when a cop wants to pull me over for a busted tail light, should my penalty include death or crippling?
There are few circumstances under which an unarmed suspect can have deadly force used against him. Sorry, but you just can’t kill a suspect because he pissed you off by running.
It’s just not right.
