J.K.H.A.
Nanobyte: you uttered an opinion above about “obviously wasn’t murder” which is 100% incorrect as it’s an opinion not based on facts.
Fact of the matter is, in California, the law which designates which particular homicides (please remember that homicide just means “causing the death of a human” and murder means “unlawfully causing the death of a human”) are considered murder and to what degree, an individual who, while engaged in a felony (such as "felony evading of police) is guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree if, although unknown to said person engaged in a felony, causes the death of another.
This particular law has been used to good extent in California. The most recent I remember was the conviction of an armed robber whose partner was shot to death by the police when both he and his partner were shooting at the police. The convicted one was convicted of both armed robbery and 1st degree murder.
Ok, now Nano has the beginnings of some data to start talking rationally about the issue.
First, ask yourself: How important is it to apprehend felons immediately? If you don’t apprehend them at that time, will they elude police for a significant time thereafter?
Second, ask yourself: Are there safer ways to apprehend a person who is suspected of criminal behaviour than high-speed pursuits? I always think they ought to be able to do a better job of setting up barricades, etc.
Third, ask yourself: What should initiate a high-speed chase? Should a motorist who is tought to have violated speed control laws be chased for failure to pull over?
In the paper the other day, the Federal Government was noted to be pushing for a rule requiring the use of a baby seat in an airplane. The grand total of babies killed in the last 20 years who would have possibly been saved by a seat? 5. For five kids in 20 years, we would require parents to fork over an extra $200 to $500 to travel home for the holidays. In light of our willingness to regulate and restrict as needed to avoid ‘needless’ death, and given the fact the statistics show high-speed chases are indeed life-threatening, what modifications should we make?
Rational thought here, please.
Yikes, I call for ‘rational thought’ and there are no posts in 24 hours… hmmmmmmmmmm 
NanoByte, you may have made a statistically valid point in your second “long” post, but I didn’t stick around long enough to read it. It was too long for one thing, and you honestly come across as a person with an axe to grind in your OP for another.
I used to think much like you seem to do: that cops had way too much authority and too little accountability for their actions for the public good and the continued well-being of a free society (I think I’ve accurately summed up your general feelings on the issue).
And to some extent, I still do have feelings in that vein.
But your average, everyday cop is just another working stiff trying to do a dirty job, and do it well, with what seems to them to be very little in the way of public, political or judicial support. I know this as I have become acquaintences and friends with several police officers at many levels of jurisdiction over the years.
And, just like the criminals they pursue and apprehend, some individual cops abuse the power their gun and badge give them to hurt others out of proportion to the offense committed (I’m thinking of the shoplifter who was shot in the head); those individual officers should be held accountable in a court of law for their actions, and punished to the same extent as any other criminal if convicted.
But if an honest cop is doing an honest job of trying to serve the public, and someone else is hurt in the process, there really isn’t much need for outrage and condemnation; those honest cops already feel like utter shit for harming an innocent. They will beat themselves up emotionally far worse than you can, often quitting, or turning to alcohol, even committing suicide.
There may very well be a need to review policy and procedures to keep this type of incident from recurring, and this is what you really seem to want (rather than just bad-mouthing all law enforcement).
In this aspect, I couldn’t be in more agreement.
But if officer Brown is still out there, doing the job, keep up the good work, and don’t let the bastards drag you down. Just remember: Loyalty Above All Else, Except Honor. If a cop is bad/does bad, don’t close ranks around them and protect them with that “Wall of Silence”; rather expose them and expel them from your ranks, strip them of the protection your society grants, and hold them accountable not only to yourselves, but also to the public that they were sworn to defend and protect.
In this manner will the public come to trust and respect the thin blue line, be it municipal, state or federal, collectively and individually.
*<FONT COLOR=“GREEN”>ExTank[i/]</FONT>
*<FONT COLOR=“BLUE”>“The world is full of bastards…”