My friend used to be a cop of one of the local cities and he told me they had a terminate pursuit policy with bikes. There should be a statewide policy though, the whole police pursuit issue has been a debate going on for years though.

This article back from 1995 talks of how a police pursuit that ended in death of 2 persons was too risky of a pursuit. (http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA...5/01250453.htm) They even released a transcript of the tapes of that pursuit if you want to read it (http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA...3/02130060.htm).

There was even that accident this past January when a state trooper collided with a light pole just off lynnhaven parkway during pursuit after the car being chased ran into him, this during a busy afternoon too.(http://content.hamptonroads.com/stor...019&ran=142515)

Once they enter a city it's supposedly at the state trooper's discretion to back off, one of the articles on Ricky's death said the state trooper backed off coming up to the lynnhaven and rosemont intersection which is where the accident occurred. Almost sounds like he saw what was about to happen and just stopped pursuit to say he did, I mean he stopped right where before the intersection that it occurred at??

Granted they gotta get these idiots off the road but when the risk of the public outweighs the risk of pursuing a driver/rider, they should terminate pursuit.

Not sure if Smokey would want to put his 2 cents in or he just may not be able to due to his job.

 

Don't even get me started on some of the police here in VA. I've had a cop admit to me in uniform how shitty the Richmond city police really are. This wasn't news to me, but these fuckers need to clean up their act or someone needs to do it for them. I'll save that rant for the SPO.

 

Please quit passing bad information. Somewhere out there someone is thinking "well hell, I'll just go 100+ mph and they won't come after me...ect" Each department has different pursuit policies. I have never heard of one based solely on the speed. I have chased a lot of bikes..some get away, some wreck, some go to jail. I have shut down three bike chases this week on my own discretion. Someone on here PM'ed me after one a few weeks ago asking if I caught the guy. He had seen me and the bike go by him on I-64. I shut it down...The guy got away. The risk was the innocent people on the road in this case outweighed the continuation of the pursuit, traffic got heavy west of the 264 interchange. It's always a game of checks and balances. So one got away...can't stop them all. Of course if the bike or car pulls to the shoulder...we don't even have this conversation.

 

I've read this debate and understand both sides. Now for my opinon:

Don't fucking run from the police. Plain and simple, under any circumstance do not run. When a rider/driver runs they put everyone around them at risk. This is not fair to innocent bystanders, the police, or your family.

With that said, it is very sad that this guy died. Those who wish to mourn should fully be allowed to, and those who are angry at his actions should fully be allowed to voice their anger. When it comes down to basics, he was loved by someone and it always sucks to lose someone you love and that is why it's sad.

I'm not a police officer so I don't really have much knowledge when it comes to pursuit. In my opinion, pursuing in city traffic is risky and inviting of something bad to happen, but I don't have the training or the experience so I can't really make a decision there.

As far as bikes being unsafe: that's just bullshit. The rider is the one who pulls back on the throttle, not the machine itself.

Summary: Mourn if you want, learn from his mistakes, and remember that it takes a fleeing rider/driver to initiate a pursuit. Take the ticket and live another day.

 

A robber robs a bank, and runs out of the building as police arrive at the scene. The robber runs into a crowd of innocent bystanders as police draw their guns. Should they shoot at the suspect to stop him and possibly hit innocent people? Or should they let him go for the time being and maybe radio to other police?

(not exactly a perfect analogy I know, but hopefully you guys get what I'm trying to say)

 

Who said it was the motorcyclist that makes riding unsafe? Not all motorcycle related fatalities have to do with the rider giving it too much throttle, or going into superman mode... There are other reasons why it's dangerous.

I had a guy in a van literally try to hit me on my motorcycle WITH MY GIRLFRIEND ON THE BACK! He continued to try and hit me.. Literally TRYING to hit me, and/or wreck me. He got up almost against my back tire at the red light, tried to stay on my tire as we started moving, then when he had the opportunity he got next to me and started swerving at me... He hopped in front of me, and slammed on his brakes. I know that sounds fishy as if maybe I did something to upset him, but I did absolutely nothing wrong. Especially not with my girlfriend on the back; I would never take any sort of risks or ride recklessly with her on the back--NEVER! He threatened my life, and most importantly HERS!

He pulled into a Mexican restaurant and rolled his lard ass out of his van, and I pulled into the other side of the parking lot and hopped off the bike quickly. I exchanged words with him, and someone pulled in the lot who had seen it all and he backed me up and was also exchanging words with this guy for doing that to us. He told me the best thing I could do was report it, but not to lay a finger on the fat slob. I called the police, and nothing happened--even with my witnesses.

I still don't know what was wrong with that guy, but he endangered my life and my girlfriends life! Luckily I calmed down before something bad happened on either end.

 

actually the faster you go, the less time you'll be spending in the way of oncoming traffic. it sounds really good on paper, but IRL... not so much

 

Thats a horrible analogy but I get what you are saying.

Try this, put yourself in my position

A car comes by at 76 mph. You try and stop it..it begins to try and elude you. Do you give chase?









Ok, the pursuit is on. You can read the tag. The return on the tag comes back to a BOL for a victim of an armed carjacking.Do you give chase?






Information is now provided on a description of the suspect...it matches.The pursuit speeds are at 100+ on the interstate. Do you continue to chase?







More information is provided. The suspect in the armed carjacking took the passenger with him. Continue to chase?






Information is provided that the abducted person is 16 years old. You can see in the car...sure as shit..theres another passenger that matches the description. Speeds are still 100+ but now getting off the interstate. Continue to chase?








The suspect vehicle is blasting though red lights off the interstate. Terminate?



The suspect wrecks into an innocent person killing the driver and his passenger. The suspect lives and the 16 year is ok and returned to his parents.




Where is the line drawn?

 

That's the bad thing about it... It's so easy to draw a line in the sand, but when it actually happens, that's a different story. It's easy to criticize whether or not an officer should terminate at a particular time or if something in particular happens, but there are so many factors and variables.

In this case, if there really was a chopper, I think that is reason enough to put a little less pressure on the person eluding. It's hard to get away from the bird in the sky; Not impossible, but difficult, and maybe he would feel less pressure to try and outperform the officer in the vehicle. On second thought, maybe not. Who's to say?

 

That "senerio" did actually happen...to me. The amount of information that gets processed during a pursuit is astronomical. Police radio traffic, the car/ bike being chased, location. speed, traffic conditions..with each one changing by the second and trying to relay that information to supervisors, other troopers, and the dispatchers.

In that senerio...damed if you do and damned if you don't. Imagine the out cry of the parents of that 16 year old had I stopped and imagine the out cry of the victims family afterwards. I guess the real reality is who is gonna name me in the civil suit.

Choppers are not as great as one would dream. About 30 minutes prior to this chase I was involved in another bike chase. The First was on Northampton and Shore drive. Fast enough on Shore drive that we out ran the chopper. I shut it down when we went into the residential area off Great Neck rd.

As far as feeling less pressure...in more than one chase I have been involved in..and shutting it down...the vehicle continued to drive recklessly. The same happened in this case, Va Beach terminated their pursuit only to have the bike still traveling well into the 100's miles away from where the first chase was terminated.