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IcyWillow1193 t1_j2df1fx wrote

Reply to comment by TransitionMission305 in Driver hits 2 women near White House, killing 1 by MrSpontaneous

They all know that chases aren't allowed, and now they know about the officer who was recently convicted of murder. There is every incentive to flee.

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SquishWindow t1_j2dgof6 wrote

Fleeing drivers kill bystanders: see story above.

The problem isn't the no-chase policy, it's that the city doesn't do nearly enough to get terrible and dangerous drivers off the road, because they are concerned about the equity effects of doing so.

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IcyWillow1193 t1_j2dhv3x wrote

In the story above, the driver was not fleeing a chase, he was fleeing a traffic stop. He knew he could flee because of the no-chase policy.

I know some people are trying to end police traffic stops altogether, which will be another dangerous step in our descent into rampant criminality.

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SquishWindow t1_j2ds057 wrote

> In the story above, the driver was not fleeing a chase, he was fleeing a traffic stop

Right, and killed a pedestrian within like a block of beginning to flee. The whole point of a no chase policy is to avoid drivers doing crazy shit that kills bystanders to get away from police. As I note every time this comes up, 1/3 of the people who die in chases are bystanders, who are 3x more likely to die in a chase than officers. You really don't want high speed chase going on through a city.

> I know some people are trying to end police traffic stops altogether, which will be another dangerous step in our descent into rampant criminality.

I don't have really strong views on how the costs & benefits of traffic stops net out. But I would love it if the city took easier steps that don't involve police confrontations to suspend driver's licenses and impound vehicles.

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IcyWillow1193 t1_j2ewr18 wrote

Driver's license suspensions become meaningless if there's no risk to driving with a suspended license. Impoundment would be more effective -- I'd love to see more of that. But reckless driving is an act of violence -- it will always be a matter foremost for law enforcement personnel.

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app_priori t1_j2dmmr7 wrote

Honestly DC should just have a purge day where everything short of murder, arson, vandalism of public property or bodily harm is legal. Get it out of everyone's system.

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DrunkWoodchuck t1_j2dqptk wrote

DC cannot get all the dangerous drivers off the road because so many aren't DC licensed drivers or in DC registered vehicles. As a consequence the policy choice appears to be to not even attempt to get the DC licensed drivers from driving dangerously.

The city is incapable of fixing this issue unless they start a zero-tolerance impound policy. Anything below taking away the vehicle is essentially wish casting, since Virginia and Maryland don't have any sort of reciprocal punishment for DC initiated fines.

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SquishWindow t1_j2dtbsm wrote

> The city is incapable of fixing this issue unless they start a zero-tolerance impound policy.

Idk about zero tolerance but I am fine with more aggressive impounding, towing, booting, license suspensions, etc.

> Virginia and Maryland don't have any sort of reciprocal punishment for DC initiated fines.

Note that that's just for camera fines, which DC also now has virtually no punishments for.

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jameson71 t1_j2dlma6 wrote

The effects of chasing equal outcome rather than equal opportunity

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SquishWindow t1_j2dvrq4 wrote

Nonsense distinction that is mostly just a right-wing rhetorical device.

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