A SAFE AND SURE WAY TO STOP DRIVERS BEING CHASED BY THE POLICE

By Howard A. Katz, Retired Professor of Criminal Justice

The Police News
June 10, 2012

Police pursuits are among the most controversial and risky police operations. They are not only dangerous to the police, but they risk the lives of innocent drivers and pedestrians as well.

Some police agencies attempt to stop a fleeing car by using the PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) maneuver whereby a police car catches up to the fleeing vehicle and nudges it in such a way that it abruptly turns sideways, causing the driver to lose control and stop. But because the PIT maneuver can be deadly, the practice of this tactic has been prohibited by many departments.

Other police agencies attempt to flatten a fleeing driver’s tires by having an officer lay a spike strip across the roadway just ahead of his approaching car. But several cops have been run over and killed by the fleeing car while laying down those strips. For that reason, a number of police agencies have banned the use of spike strips. Dallas has just banned their use and Ft. Worth is considering banning them as well.

Instead of attempting to stop a car with the PIT maneuver or with spike strips, I have a better idea. Why can’t Congress pass a law that requires car manufacturers to install an electronic disabling device on every car sold in America that will allow a pursuing police car to send a signal which will shut off the fleeing vehicle’s engine? I am sure the technology is there that would enable the police to disable only the car being chased and I don’t believe that the installation of an engine kill device would violate anyone’s civil rights.

The engine disabling device would prevent a fleeing driver from forcing other drivers off the road. It would prevent him from crashing into other vehicles while speeding through red traffic signals and stop signs. It would prevent the fleeing driver from colliding with other cars while weaving in and out of traffic. It would enable the police to disable the engine of a car if its driver fled the wrong way against oncoming traffic. And by stopping a fleeing driver in his tracks, it would also keep the pursuing police cars from crashing during a chase.

Thus the disabling device is clearly a safety device. And since federal laws have long mandated that automobile manufacturers include numerous safety features on the cars they produce, a congressional act mandating disabling devices should be able to withstand any legal challenges that might come its way.

Now before you say that I must be nuts for advocating the mandatory installation of a disabling device on every car sold in America when only an infinitesimal number of drivers will ever run from the police, consider this. Every day there are police pursuits all over the country. And every year a number of kids running from the cops, a number of officers chasing fleeing vehicles, and a number of innocent drivers and pedestrians are hurt or killed as the result of police pursuits.

So is it worth the extra cost of installing those devices? If they save lives and prevent serious injuries, you bet it is!