A local deputy passed away in my county this week, just a few miles away from my farm. It's believed he was attempting to pull over a motorcyclist who fled an attempted traffic stop. Deciding to pursue the motorcycle, the officer lost control of his vehicle and hit a utility pole. Unfortunately, he died at the scene. The deputy was not wearing his seat belt. The motorcyclist has not been apprehended. This raises a valid conversation, though. Why pursue in such a reckless manner?
Where I live, these back country roads are narrow and very curvy. They're dangerous enough to drive under normal circumstances, much less at high speeds. It's not uncommon to encounter blind spots, wild animals crossing, or wide vehicles that make passing oncoming traffic rather treacherous. In short, these roads are neither safe nor intended for driving fast. I find myself asking why someone would choose to pursue at high speeds on such roads.
Was the motorcyclist wrong for fleeing? Absolutely. You should never run from the police. The courtroom is where you defend yourself, not the initial encounter with law enforcement. At the end of the day, most police officers are just doing their job and making an arrest is not personal. It’s just business, as the old saying goes. Cooperation goes a long way.
Should the deputy in question have chased a motorcycle with a top-heavy Ford SUV without his seatbelt engaged? Definitely not.
This question of pursuit has been debated for many years by numerous people. What does the pursuit of a suspect in a high speed scenario actually serve? By and large, pursuits at high speeds only manage to accomplish the following:
- Putting the officer at risk.
- Putting other drivers at risk.
- Placing personal property (and potentially a stolen vehicle) at risk of destruction.
Is it really worth pursuing someone, especially if they’re driving a motorcycle that’s vastly more nimble and speedy that your average car? The only conclusion that I can come to is that it’s just not worth it under most circumstances. Let the motorcycle go, call in your encounter, and place a BOL on the driver in question. They can't elude capture forever.
Fighting crime, and life in general, is a war of attrition. You’ve got to pick your battles. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose… but the important part is that you live to fight another day.
Throwing caution to the wind and placing yourself and other innocent bystanders in harm’s way, all over an attempt to pull someone over, is rather short-sighted and needlessly risky. Does this mean an officer shouldn’t do their job? Of course not, but it does mean using some simple logic to decide where and when to enforce the law for the greater good. If that means someone gets away today at the cost of preserving a life, then so be it. Eventually, that criminal will slip up and meet his match. It just won’t be today.
An officer’s life is saved. Said officer continues to perform for the greater good and catch other criminals whose number is finally up. A family isn’t burying their spouse, their child, or their parent. You live to fight another day.
I can’t help but think of two filmed scenes wherein a police officer made the right decision when they were outmatched, for whatever reason. One is the encounter between Lorne Malvo and Officer Grimly from Fargo.
The other is from The Town, with the encounter between the fleeing bank robbers (who are heavily armed) and the random officer who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There’s a lesson to be learned here – choose your battles wisely and you’ll continue to fight in the war of attrition. Sometimes, the best thing you can do to serve the public and preserve the peace is do nothing at all.
I’m sure the deceased deputy thought he was doing the right thing, and I hope for comfort to come to his family. It’s a terrible situation all around, sadly over a traffic stop of all things. Nothing was gained from this; a valuable life was wasted over pittance.
