We Must Go Faster.
January 15, 2011 10:01 AM Subscribe
Do high-speed chases ever work out for the chasee these days? Considering the amount of cameras, helicopters, and foreknowledge law enforcement has to catch people trying to make a high-speed getaway, have there been any successful escapes in the US in the last 20 years or so?
This came up while watching a TruTV marathon, every single car chase ended with arrest.
This came up while watching a TruTV marathon, every single car chase ended with arrest.
I have personally avoided being caught. I wouldn't necessarily call it a "high speed persuit" but there were definitely creative driving techniques involved. Obviously we hear about the people that get caught more than the people that get away.
posted by sacrifix at 10:10 AM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by sacrifix at 10:10 AM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: There are plenty of escapes. All the escapee has to do to escape for at least a short time to is raise the risk of death or serious injury to police or bystanders high enough to get the police to stop pursuit. Police departments don't always make the right call in such situations, but it happens often enough.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 10:10 AM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 10:10 AM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Even if a successful escape were caught on camera, the TV shows don't air the footage because they don't want to encourage such behavior.
posted by exogenous at 10:11 AM on January 15, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by exogenous at 10:11 AM on January 15, 2011 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure if this is a form of observation bias or not, but if you stop and think - the chases you see on TV are the ones where a helicopter got involved - police, media, or both. They were the ones occurring in a metro area which had the resources for the helicopters (and other LE assets, like lots of patrol cars). As has been said, it's easy enough on rural roads to outrun a cop, esp. with a motorcycle or a sports car. Where I live, there may be one state police officer or sheriff's deputy working an entire county at times.
The ones that don't work out for law enforcement - well, they don't like to talk about those, do they? :-)
posted by randomkeystrike at 10:15 AM on January 15, 2011 [7 favorites]
The ones that don't work out for law enforcement - well, they don't like to talk about those, do they? :-)
posted by randomkeystrike at 10:15 AM on January 15, 2011 [7 favorites]
Best answer: I live in a very rural community with many backroads and poorly mapped streets. People outrun the police fairly often. A common move is to turn off your lights and floor it. If you know the roads well enough, you can get a pretty good distance between you and the following police. Then, when you add in fog and dustclouds, the police will often break pursuit for their own safety. My brother (who has been on both sides of this scenario--the pursued and the pursuer) has told me spine-chilling tales of chases that top 100mph on twisting dirt roads that have barely been improved since Civil War times.
Also: they are unlikely to air the pursuits that end unsuccessfully.
posted by ColdChef at 10:16 AM on January 15, 2011
Also: they are unlikely to air the pursuits that end unsuccessfully.
posted by ColdChef at 10:16 AM on January 15, 2011
Not a successful outcome for the escapee, but in my state (Alabama) a prisoner jumped the deputy transporting him and got control of his patrol car at a rest stop a few years ago. He made it over 50 miles before he got shot up, and if he had been smart enough to get off the interstate in the early stages and get a less conspicious car (car jack someone at a gas station - he had the deputy's gun) then take off into the rural areas, he probably would have made it.
posted by randomkeystrike at 10:18 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by randomkeystrike at 10:18 AM on January 15, 2011
There was one here recently (Portland, Or) where the suspect got away. Pursuit on I205. The guy pulls over and runs into neighborhood.
posted by amanda at 10:20 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by amanda at 10:20 AM on January 15, 2011
A friend told me a story of successfully evading the police. Supposedly, he was driving across the country in a sports car going way too fast, saw a cop, floored it, and outran him, before pulling off somewhere for the night. He might have been shitting me but I didn't get that vibe, and this sounds like something he would do. He's kind of an idiot when it comes to speed and cars.
posted by PercussivePaul at 10:26 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by PercussivePaul at 10:26 AM on January 15, 2011
Best answer: The reason for the pursuit also matters. Rolling a stop sign? They're not going to call in the helicopters and set up roadblocks. Fleeing a bank robbery? Very different.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:45 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:45 AM on January 15, 2011
Best answer: Yup, happens all the time. Many police departments have started to prohibit officers from pursuing suspects because 1) it's not very successful, and 2) it's very dangerous for anyone on the road or nearby.
posted by _cave at 10:46 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by _cave at 10:46 AM on January 15, 2011
Best answer: I live in a very rural community with many backroads and poorly mapped streets. People outrun the police fairly often.
Same here. Whether they track you down later is another matter, but makes much less interesting television.
posted by jessamyn at 10:49 AM on January 15, 2011
Same here. Whether they track you down later is another matter, but makes much less interesting television.
posted by jessamyn at 10:49 AM on January 15, 2011
This happened in front of our house. For a given value of "high speed" chase. Our road is between two increasing banks, with a large, empty field on one side. Motorcycles went off into the field, when the cop went between the banks they just made a U. No way for him to turn around quickly enough, especially on a blind turn... no air support, probably no other cop within a couple miles, and no real incentive to do serious chasing (probably kids messing around).
posted by anaelith at 11:03 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by anaelith at 11:03 AM on January 15, 2011
A recent pursuit that made it onto Fark in Vancouver B.C. (sorry, can't dig up the citation) included a foot pursuit through a Vancouver neighborhood followed by the suspect jumping into a car and escaping. But I'm with you, I don't think it happens that often.
posted by arnicae at 11:16 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by arnicae at 11:16 AM on January 15, 2011
But even if the escapee/person-who-flees does manage to outrun the police, they presumabley have his license plate number (assuming the car isn't stolen). So what's the point? Even if he gets away, he's still "caught".
posted by pintapicasso at 11:25 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by pintapicasso at 11:25 AM on January 15, 2011
But even if the escapee/person-who-flees does manage to outrun the police, they presumabley have his license plate number (assuming the car isn't stolen). So what's the point? Even if he gets away, he's still "caught".
Three reasons, pintapicasso:
1. The police have to both report the license plate accurately (harder than you think, unless they manage to get fairly close during the chase), and the face of the driver. Otherwise, the arrest will likely be thrown out for lack of evidence.
2. Criminals are, by and large, stupid. Really stupid. Teenage-level dumb.
3. "Assuming the car isn't stolen" is a pretty big assumption.
posted by IAmBroom at 11:31 AM on January 15, 2011
Three reasons, pintapicasso:
1. The police have to both report the license plate accurately (harder than you think, unless they manage to get fairly close during the chase), and the face of the driver. Otherwise, the arrest will likely be thrown out for lack of evidence.
2. Criminals are, by and large, stupid. Really stupid. Teenage-level dumb.
3. "Assuming the car isn't stolen" is a pretty big assumption.
posted by IAmBroom at 11:31 AM on January 15, 2011
I saw one once on tv in L.A. where the guy got away. He ditched the car and ran through backyards. The funny thing was, as soon as the anchors realized they had lost him, they cut awy and just kind of mumbled awkwardly, refusing to acknowledge what had happened.
posted by drjimmy11 at 12:14 PM on January 15, 2011
posted by drjimmy11 at 12:14 PM on January 15, 2011
All the escapee has to do to escape for at least a short time to is raise the risk of death or serious injury to police or bystanders high enough to get the police to stop pursuit.
But in those cases they follow by helicopter. Or, if they're the LAPD, they just go ahead keep pursuing, often causing accidents that injure or kill innocent people.
posted by drjimmy11 at 12:17 PM on January 15, 2011
But in those cases they follow by helicopter. Or, if they're the LAPD, they just go ahead keep pursuing, often causing accidents that injure or kill innocent people.
posted by drjimmy11 at 12:17 PM on January 15, 2011
I spent a good portion of my university time in cultural studies analyzing television programs like COPS. This is a TV-versus-reality issue. Nearly all of these reality cop shows have a predictable narrative arc designed to impress upon the viewer that the police always win. The actual rate of police success, whether in apprehending suspects, solving crimes, or recovering stolen property is another thing entirely.
posted by werkzeuger at 12:24 PM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by werkzeuger at 12:24 PM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
Jesse James had a show, Jesse James is a Dead Man. He did an episode where the goal was to outrun a team of some of the best police pursuit guys in the US along with a helicopter.
You can watch the episode here. I think it offers a good look at what could happen in a full on pursuit in a large city.
I think the reason people most people get caught is: A. They aren't very smart. B. The police are usually better drivers. C. It's hard to outrun a radio.
So if you can be intelligent, a decent driver and be an area with a small police force I think your odds of getting away are really high.
I always wonder why all the videos in those Worlds Most Outrageous Police Chases tend to be 15 years old too. Anyway, I agree with the comments above, people get away but it just isn't glamorized by the media.
posted by zephyr_words at 12:42 PM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
You can watch the episode here. I think it offers a good look at what could happen in a full on pursuit in a large city.
I think the reason people most people get caught is: A. They aren't very smart. B. The police are usually better drivers. C. It's hard to outrun a radio.
So if you can be intelligent, a decent driver and be an area with a small police force I think your odds of getting away are really high.
I always wonder why all the videos in those Worlds Most Outrageous Police Chases tend to be 15 years old too. Anyway, I agree with the comments above, people get away but it just isn't glamorized by the media.
posted by zephyr_words at 12:42 PM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
I heard a story from a friend on a bike tour (he liked telling stories, but this one seemed reasonably true) about outrunning the police on a motorcycle. He said he used to have a big, overpowered twin, and one night he had been drinking when a cruiser behind him lit him up. He just opened the throttle (this was way out in rural Indiana) and put distance between the cop and himself, then pulled the bike out of sight at his house and went inside.
Seems like in those sorts of situations, where the fleer has more speed/power than the cop, the cop has little or no backup, and the fleer has a nearby place where he/she can pull off or hide, the chances for successful evasion is highest.
posted by aaronbeekay at 3:01 PM on January 15, 2011
Seems like in those sorts of situations, where the fleer has more speed/power than the cop, the cop has little or no backup, and the fleer has a nearby place where he/she can pull off or hide, the chances for successful evasion is highest.
posted by aaronbeekay at 3:01 PM on January 15, 2011
Best answer: All the escapee has to do to escape for at least a short time to is raise the risk of death or serious injury to police or bystanders high enough to get the police to stop pursuit.
But in those cases they follow by helicopter.
That's true in TV-land, drjimmy11. Amazingly enough, out here in The Real World (TM), not every police chase is automatically accompanied by helicopter backup.
For instance, my local community is only served by a sheriff and part-time deputies. Sometimes, his fleet of helicopters are too busy stopping international drug lords and terrorists to chase speeding motorists.
posted by IAmBroom at 4:21 PM on January 15, 2011
But in those cases they follow by helicopter.
That's true in TV-land, drjimmy11. Amazingly enough, out here in The Real World (TM), not every police chase is automatically accompanied by helicopter backup.
For instance, my local community is only served by a sheriff and part-time deputies. Sometimes, his fleet of helicopters are too busy stopping international drug lords and terrorists to chase speeding motorists.
posted by IAmBroom at 4:21 PM on January 15, 2011
The success rate for outrunning a police chase in our area (Central Kansas small town surrounded by miles of rural roads in all directions) is about 1 in 3, according to my husband.
In his department, the decision to chase (and for how long to continue to chase) is left to officer discretion, and the general concensus regarding high-speed chases is that it's not worth risking loss of life if a fleeing suspect starts driving like a maniac, or if the weather or road conditions aren't safe. Sometimes it depends on the original reason for the chase (e.g. somebody fleeing after a non-violent crime isn't going to warrant as much urgency as somebody fleeing after committing a murder -- and the last murder here was three years ago).
That said, the kinds of high-speed pursuits you see on TV aren't the norm in any jurisdiction. There are all sorts of other kinds of chase situations. The most recent chase in our area, culminating in a successful escape, involved illegal hunting. A farmer called in to report some poachers spotlighting deer in his fields. Officers responded and gave chase in the field, but the suspects were on dirt bikes and ATVs and they were able to get away by weaving in and out of the tree line.
posted by amyms at 4:26 PM on January 15, 2011 [2 favorites]
In his department, the decision to chase (and for how long to continue to chase) is left to officer discretion, and the general concensus regarding high-speed chases is that it's not worth risking loss of life if a fleeing suspect starts driving like a maniac, or if the weather or road conditions aren't safe. Sometimes it depends on the original reason for the chase (e.g. somebody fleeing after a non-violent crime isn't going to warrant as much urgency as somebody fleeing after committing a murder -- and the last murder here was three years ago).
That said, the kinds of high-speed pursuits you see on TV aren't the norm in any jurisdiction. There are all sorts of other kinds of chase situations. The most recent chase in our area, culminating in a successful escape, involved illegal hunting. A farmer called in to report some poachers spotlighting deer in his fields. Officers responded and gave chase in the field, but the suspects were on dirt bikes and ATVs and they were able to get away by weaving in and out of the tree line.
posted by amyms at 4:26 PM on January 15, 2011 [2 favorites]
Check out This American Life episode 248. The program mentions that due to safety concerns, many police departments are reluctant to engage in extended high speed pursuits.
posted by Mr Mister at 4:34 PM on January 15, 2011
posted by Mr Mister at 4:34 PM on January 15, 2011
So what's the point? Even if he gets away, he's still "caught".
This is time to get rid of drugs, your friend with a warrant, or high bac. Plus you may weasel out if they didn't read your plate right.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:50 PM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
This is time to get rid of drugs, your friend with a warrant, or high bac. Plus you may weasel out if they didn't read your plate right.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:50 PM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
Bloke in Canberra in a BMW escaped three police pursuits in one day last week. They found the car, but not sure if they found him.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:42 PM on January 15, 2011
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:42 PM on January 15, 2011
The secret is to never let them get close enough to read your plate. For example, if you are in a no front plate state, and you pass a police officer, and you see him turning around. If you can floor it, get beyond a hill crest and immediately disappear, you are golden.
But that would be wrong.
posted by gjc at 7:16 PM on January 15, 2011 [2 favorites]
But that would be wrong.
posted by gjc at 7:16 PM on January 15, 2011 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the real-life not-badly edited together video clip-show answers.!
My train of thought was basically
"Huh everyone gets caught - that can't happen all the time - There are a lot of these videos, why do people try if they always get caught-I mean they probably only show the wins - like half of these are from Russia too- and it's always highways, not rural areas so maybe - wait how would you find actual stats- I wouldn't know what to search for - Metafilter probably knows."
And you did!
posted by The Whelk at 9:57 PM on January 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
My train of thought was basically
"Huh everyone gets caught - that can't happen all the time - There are a lot of these videos, why do people try if they always get caught-I mean they probably only show the wins - like half of these are from Russia too- and it's always highways, not rural areas so maybe - wait how would you find actual stats- I wouldn't know what to search for - Metafilter probably knows."
And you did!
posted by The Whelk at 9:57 PM on January 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Head to a (hopefully close) airport with multi-storey car parking. Police helicopters can't overfly due to safety considerations and you can dump a car in a multi-storey very easily without being spotted.
posted by longbaugh at 1:46 PM on April 25, 2011
posted by longbaugh at 1:46 PM on April 25, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by workerant at 10:04 AM on January 15, 2011 [1 favorite]