Essay on Police Pursuits of Criminals

USlegal.com refers police chase as a pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law by a police officer. The police felt there was a need to pursue Victor Harris after he failed to stop his vehicle after the lights on the patrol car was activated. In this pursuit Victor Harris was driving at speeds up to 100 miles per hour. The officers continue to pursue him in the dangerous conditions. At this point the officers had reason to think the driver was running for something more than a speeding ticket.

Every day, law enforcement officers encounter danger while carrying out their duties. The foremost duty of law enforcement officers are to serve and protect citizens. Most law enforcement agencies do this successfully. However, many people view law enforcement officers as the enemy. People need to be better informed about law enforcement and why officers take specific actions in certain circumstances. In our society, police are in a very dangerous position when it comes to the amount of force they can use when dealing with an individual. Officers use discretion when deciding the best course of action for the situation, whether it be physical force, persuasion, or coercion. They must take the correct course of action, because if they are too lenient or to forceful, even when dealing with petty things, they can be reprimanded by superiors and the public. Should police use force? Which circumstances warrant use force and what are the limits of force they can use? These questions are often asked when police are compelled to use force.

This case was one of the most anticipated Federal cases to date that deals with police pursuits. Deputy Scott was on a high speed chase with a nineteen year old clocked 73 in a 55 mph zone. This teen was not only speeding, but when cornered in a parking lot, hit Deputy Scotts’ vehicle to try to escape. Scott, along with other law enforcement, continued in pursuit of Harris. Scott requested to be able to do a Precision Intervention Technique but realized the vehicle was going too fast to maneuver

Ten people were killed due to police pursuits in 1998. “Of the ten fatalities, eight of the people were drivers fleeing from police officers”(1998 Analysis, 1). And the other two deaths were people who were not involved in the pursuit. The good thing for police officers is that none died during a pursuit in 1998. Some people say that there should have been no fatalities, including the people fleeing from the police officers. The majority of pursuits in the last four years that have had fatalities occur are provoked by the fleeing driver and also injure passengers in that car and innocent bystanders.

Law enforcement officials often confront situations where it’s an almost certainty that illegal activities are taking place despite not having sufficient resources to investigate every possible perpetrator. Research on race and vehicle stops by police show that African American drivers are disproportionately stopped in traffic by police for driving violations (Kowalski & Lundman, 2007). The reason is because law enforcement officials use characterizations or

The media has portrayed Officers in a new light. Rather than protective guardians, they are now unstable, power-fueled workers of the law. It is their choice what they will do with the duty of enforcing the law. Anyone can fall victim to Police Brutality. However, America’s social and economic society is improving at an alarming rate. America is at a time now where peaceful protests and the like are promoted, while aggressive out lashes, unlawful activities, and excessive force is frowned upon. The economy today is a result of the hard work of ancestors who protested and ensured a better future. In the future, it is possible that Officers will no longer be stereotyped as abusive, or unlawful. A united front is required for this future, where there are no more sides, violence, or

Whenever a police car goes by, I instantly think about two things: One, that someone is hurt and possibly not surviving, and two, I feel paranoid more than “protected.” If a cop is behind me while I am driving, I instantly think I’m doing something wrong…..even if I am driving perfectly legal. Whenever a cop car, a fire truck, or ambulance goes by, for a few seconds I wonder where they are going. The sirens peak interest for just a short amount; but then I forget all about it and go on about my day. I feel sorry for them, but I’m safe. On the opposite side, cops are fearful during most traffic stops. While the opinions on cop safety and cop brutality can be argued until time stops, The Harvard Courant states the tension felt by cops with the issues has become evident in the fact that traffic stops has decreased by at least 4% since last year. Motorists are seeing police as more aggressive than ever before, and additionally, they are instigating confrontations while having video footage ready. Both sides of the situation seem to be led by fear.

Racial profiling and traffic stops are always a hot debate in our country. Recently, race issues with the police have gotten even hotter with the situations in Ferguson and New York. No matter where a person stands on the issue, the numbers that suggest racial profiling and traffic stops are difficult to justify. Racial profiling is described as the use of race as a key factor in police decisions to stop and interrogate citizens (Weitzer & Tuch, p. 435, 2006). A study was done in Baltimore, Maryland where 533 drivers were stopped on I-95, and more than half of the people stopped were minorities. Likewise, 63% of people that were asked to step out of their

Stop and Frisk laws have been a statistically proven means of crime prevention across America as a whole. Still, ever since their creation, Stop and Frisk laws have been a major source of controversy in America. The constitutionality of Stop and Frisk laws was confirmed in the 1968 case of Terry vs Ohio and since then, crime levels across America have been at historic lows. Yet, the 2013 verdict of the class action lawsuit, Floyd v. City of New York has ruled otherwise. The court found the NYPD of violating both the fourth and fourteenth amendment mostly on the grounds of racial profiling. The court has as a result put in place a serious of complex changes to these laws making the job as a police officer even more dangerous than it already was. The topic of “racial profiling” is the fuel to the majority of the arguments opposing Stop and frisk. However, the subject of racial profiling is vastly misconstrued and deeply misunderstood. Stop and Frisk laws have flaws and are not perfect by any means, nevertheless they are an imperative source of preventing crime in America that needs to continue.

Police officers pull drivers over for a number of reasons, ranging from driving recklessly to suspicion of possessing illegal substances. Traffic stops pose stress onto police officers because of its hazards. First, police officers risk the chance of getting hit by incoming traffic. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, over 150 U.S. Law enforcement officers were killed since 1999 by getting struck by vehicles along America's highways (National Safety Commission, 2012). When a police officer pulls over a driver, he or she is focused on documenting information on the incident report, leaving him or her open to the risk of getting hit by incoming vehicles.

Law enforcement, in some form, has existed for centuries and since its creation there has been numerous improvements. Improvements have come about because of community changes and the need for more effective ways of policing the people. As crimes became more fierce and complex so did the need for the investigation and solving of these crimes. Criminal investigative techniques were not just born from thin air, some thought and planning had to go into figuring out the proper ways to go about doing things. Pioneers of the criminal justice and criminal investigation field such as August Vollmer, Alphonse Bertillon, Edward Henry, and Edmond Locard have made superior contributions to the development of criminal investigative techniques. These techniques have impacted the way police operate today and set a substantial base for law enforcement to build on.

Criminal profiling is one of few first things to think of when it comes to forensic psychology. Criminal profiling is featured in popular television shows such as in Law and Order and CSI. Often in those shows, the police officers were able to catch the criminals based on the criminal profile that forensic psychologists came up with. In a theory, the polices rely on criminal profiling to catch criminals, educate the public about a possible criminal, and confirm the witnesses’ accounts. Criminal profiling involves using various methods to guess a criminal’s background, behavior, and even preferences for the victims.

Whenever police officers come into contact with citizens, there is a chance that the encounter will digress to one in which force is used on a suspect. Fortunately, most police activities, such as traffic or investigative stops, or even arrests, do not result in the use of force (Alpert, 2004).

Everyone has an opinion of police officers; whether it’s positive, negative or indifferent. Regardless of the city, as soon as a person encounters an officer, that person will come away with a lasting impression, hopefully it’s a favorable one. Gone are the days of having extra time to meet people and engage in “community policing”. How often have you heard “I was pulled over by the nicest officer today and got 2 tickets that I totally deserved”, or “The police stopped and frisked me today because I matched the description of a suspect, but I understand they were just doing their jobs”? No, they were “harassed”, the tickets were “unfair”, or “those officers had nothing better to do”. Fewer still are people that truly understand the purpose, importance and the cause and effect of even “simple” traffic stops. (In the police academy instructors stress that there is no such thing as a “routine” traffic stop).

Allegations of police brutality by the U.S. police departments have been on the rise for the past two decades. The use of excessive force by police officers beyond what is considered necessary is not a new fact to the world. Many of these encounters with civilians have been unjustified because the majority ultimately ends in death. The police involve the use of weapons such as batons, Tasers, pepper spray, or guns. This may also include false arrests, psychological trauma, and verbal abuse. Some individuals will state they are just doing their job, but others argue these cases can be traced back to poor training and policies. Every police officer has the right to protect himself and the community, but they should be able to discern when to use reasonable or excessive force on the civilian depending on the situation at hand.