# Why do they yell, "Police! Stop!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988 "2012-06-22T20:48:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/1 "2012-06-22T20:48:23Z")
The suspects never stop. And the TV police often yell it when they’re half a block away and the exit routes aren’t covered. On the flip side, why do the suspects always run? In places where’s there no chance of escape. Rhetorical questions. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/2 "2012-06-22T20:52:14Z")
By identifying themselves as police, the suspect can’t argue in court that he saw two dangerous men chasing him and ran because he feared for his life. On TV, the suspects run because it’s more dramatic. Though I do remember a cartoon in the New Yorker a few decades ago showing two men in a prison cell and one saying, “Then someone shouted ‘Stop! Thief!’ and I did.” ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/3 "2012-06-22T20:55:23Z")
The ones that don’t run don’t make good television. The ones that run when it’s hopeless probably panicked. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/4 "2012-06-22T23:15:24Z")
I remember another New Yorker cartoon of a London Police officer running: “Stop! Or I shall yell ‘stop’ again!” ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/5 "2012-06-22T23:19:19Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I remember another New Yorker cartoon of a London Police officer running: > > “Stop! Or I shall yell ‘stop’ again!” In other words, “Stop, or I’ll shout!” ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/6 "2012-06-23T01:03:53Z")
[Stop! Or my mom will shoot!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMQ-RoCKa6o) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/7 "2012-06-23T04:01:51Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > By identifying themselves as police, the suspect can’t argue in court that he saw two dangerous men chasing him and ran because he feared for his life. They also can’t pull out a weapon and kill the pursuers with the defense that they thought they were only defending themselves. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/8 "2012-06-23T04:24:16Z")
I’d yell “Free Porn!” ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/9 "2012-06-23T12:06:30Z")
Because “Yes, officer. Can I help you?” makes for boring television. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/10 "2012-06-23T13:03:26Z")
I just mean it makes more sense to wait until you’re closer to yell “Police- stop!” than to yell it and alert the guy when you get out of your car half a block away. The police (on the shows I watch anyway) yell it naively as though they think the guy is REALLY going to stay put until they can cuff him. It makes more sense to approach the guy without drawing attention to yourself, and THEN yell and nab him when you’re only a few feet away. As for running, if you’re the one the police yell at when THEY’RE a block away, and it’s an urban setting, it makes perfect sense to run. Especially if it’s your neighborhood and you know the good hiding places. But heck, the bad guys run in a convenience store? In a hospital? In their own (small) house? Sometimes even in the police station. I guess if they were smart, they’d be rocket scientists, not bad guys. Although some of the bad guys turn out to \*be \*rocket scientists. A foot chase definitely makes better entertainment than a peaceful surrender, I get that, of course. I just want it to make sense. One of the great foot chases was in _Point Break_ where Patrick Swayze ran for_ever_, including through people’s houses. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/11 "2012-06-23T13:42:38Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > One of the great foot chases was in _Point Break_ where Patrick Swayze ran for_ever_, including through people’s houses. Another good one in _Raising Arizona_. Also through houses. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/12 "2012-06-23T16:29:42Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > One of the great foot chases was in _Point Break_ where Patrick Swayze ran for_ever_, including through people’s houses. The absolute best one IMHO is the 1980 movie **Night of the Juggler** , where the almost the entire movie is one long chase through the worst, dirtiest parts of NYC (causing tons of damage in the process). The good guy is chasing the bad guy (who has his daughter) but at one point the good guy is also getting chased by a dirty cop too! Awesome stuff! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/13 "2012-06-23T16:44:17Z")
Legally you have to obey a command from a police officer. You can be charged if you don’t. They are giving a command when they Say “Stop”. They are also identifying themselves as law enforcement by saying Police! Stop! ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/14 "2012-06-23T16:55:30Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Legally you have to obey a command from a police officer. You can be charged if you don’t. > > They are giving a command when they Say “Stop”. They are also identifying themselves as law enforcement by saying Police! Stop! Yes, an extra charge can now be added, ‘attempting to elude a police officer’. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/15 "2012-06-23T17:01:22Z")
When the bad guys shot Superman, he would stand there, all chest out and stuff, while the bullets bounced off him. Then, when out of bullets, the criminal would throw the gun at Supes. And HE WOULD DUCK! So, bullets are no danger to Superman, but a thrown firearm … And now you know. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/16 "2012-06-23T17:06:51Z")
Is this some kind of bust? Well… it’s very impressive, yes, but we need to ask you a few questions. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/17 "2012-06-23T17:37:42Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I remember another New Yorker cartoon of a London Police officer running: > > “Stop! Or I shall yell ‘stop’ again!” No idea which one predates the other, but that was also a Robin Williams joke: he did it in his 1986 “Live at The Met” show. (Which I know/remember because it’s the only Robin Williams special that I’ve watched over and over and over…) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/18 "2012-06-23T19:11:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Legally you have to obey a command from a police officer. You can be charged if you don’t. > > They are giving a command when they Say “Stop”. They are also identifying themselves as law enforcement by saying Police! Stop! I’m not objecting to the police yelling STOP. I just think the police should wait to yell STOP until they are CLOSER to the bad guys, so that when the bad guys run, as they surely will do, the police will have a better chance of catching them. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/19 "2012-06-23T19:24:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’m not objecting to the police yelling STOP. I just think the police should wait to yell STOP until they are CLOSER to the bad guys, so that when the bad guys run, as they surely will do, the police will have a better chance of catching them. I always like the look of ‘shock’ on the cops face - the double take with the partner as they decide who gets to give chase. “Huh, thought that would work this time” ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988/20 "2012-06-23T19:27:26Z")
I’m getting too old for this … How about when the young cop gives chase to a car on foot. And actually catches up! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-yell-police-stop/625988.md?page=2)