It is in the interests of society that its police be held to the same rule of law as everyone else, or to an even higher standard.
But in this case, it is equally legal for a prison guard to hold a duly convicted criminal against his will as a private citizen, because the criminal's right to roam free was suspended by judicial order in the sentencing phase of his trial.
The logical standard for permitting police to engage a fleeing suspect with a high-speed chase is by determining that the suspect would present a greater threat to the public if allowed to escape than the damage that could occur during the pursuit.
Since innocents have been killed in the past by both fleeing suspects and police pursuit vehicles, one might suspect that police would only start a hot pursuit for known-violent murder suspects, and for everyone else, radio in a description of the vehicle and its passengers so that other cops further ahead of it can block traffic or throw down spike strips. Unfortunately, this is often trumped by the de facto "adrenaline standard".
The fact of the matter is, cops who speed can be ticketed for it. But then the cop who issued that ticket to another cop is overwhelmingly harassed by her peers as a "traitor" to the cop culture. (search: florida "donna watts" "fausto lopez" 2011) The net result is that police are held to a lower standard of law than everyone else, and that creates a culture of corruption.
But in this case, it is equally legal for a prison guard to hold a duly convicted criminal against his will as a private citizen, because the criminal's right to roam free was suspended by judicial order in the sentencing phase of his trial.
The logical standard for permitting police to engage a fleeing suspect with a high-speed chase is by determining that the suspect would present a greater threat to the public if allowed to escape than the damage that could occur during the pursuit.
Since innocents have been killed in the past by both fleeing suspects and police pursuit vehicles, one might suspect that police would only start a hot pursuit for known-violent murder suspects, and for everyone else, radio in a description of the vehicle and its passengers so that other cops further ahead of it can block traffic or throw down spike strips. Unfortunately, this is often trumped by the de facto "adrenaline standard".
The fact of the matter is, cops who speed can be ticketed for it. But then the cop who issued that ticket to another cop is overwhelmingly harassed by her peers as a "traitor" to the cop culture. (search: florida "donna watts" "fausto lopez" 2011) The net result is that police are held to a lower standard of law than everyone else, and that creates a culture of corruption.