Here’s a Cool Idea: Cincinnati Police Officers should not chase suspects of petty crimes (currently stealing a car is a felony and thref=”https://t the movies, unless there is a clear and present danger to the general public, police officers should resist their Bo and Luke Duke urges to burn rubber after bad guys. It’s just not worth it. On Wednesday a stolen SUV driven by Mark Gerth slammed into a taxi cab killing two people, Tonya Hairston and Mohamed Ould Mohamed Sidi. Cincinnati Police had been chasing Gerth thru several neighborhoods including, Corryville, Mt., Auburn, and eventually downtown Cincinnati where Gerth crashed into the taxi.
The volume on the queen city spin machine was immediately turned up. Revising history is an old trick. Now local reports read that Gerth was “fleeing” rather than being “chased” (a semantic devise that throws the blame entirely on Gerth). And, in a recent news article, Gerth is described as “emotionless” during his arraignment. Conventional wisdom blames the suspect for fleeing the scene, but in my opinion, the policy that allows or empowers officers to chase petty criminals is partially to blame as well. Two people are dead, one person has been arrested and charged-zero of it makes sense.
Ponder this. Last summer I was at Eden Park with Lil Buddha enjoying the weather. As we were leaving, I noticed a mother running and calling for her son (or so it appeared to be her son.) The little boy could not have been more than 1 and half years old. He was running toward the street, busy with cars filled with corny cats trying to stunt to attract the chicken heads, and his mother was frantic. I could hear it in her voice. She was chasing the little boy-but he must have eaten his Wheaties that morning because she couldn’t catch him. Just as he was about to run into the street and into the headlines, his mother stopped dead in her tracks. She called the little boy with a really firm, calm voice and to no ones surprise the little boy stopped, turned around and his mother walked up to him and picked him up. Moral of the story? People run because their being chased! It’s an impulse that we observe in children all the time. But a measure of patience can save the day.
Unless the suspect is wanted for serious violent offenses police should error on the side of caution and think of the big picture. The streets of Cincinnati should not be treated like the back lot of a movie set. Citizens don’t have stunt doubles. The Cincinnati Police Department should revisit its policy on high-speed chases. A few pensive moments could save lives and anything that saves lives is a cool idea.
Related Stories: Deaths Lead Police To Question High-Speed Chase Polices
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