Save the Innocent!

The decision on whether or not police officers should be held liable for someone’s death or injury in a high speed chase is a decision that should be well thought out and considered. While I do not agree that criminals running from the police should have laws protecting them, I do believe that changes and limits should be put into action to protect innocent bystanders on the roads.

According to the North County Times in California, Kristie Priano, a 15-year-old honor student was killed when police chased a young girl who took her mother’s SUV without permission. A rebellious teenager driving her mother’s car without permission is hardly a crime which justifies the death of young Kristie Priano. After this tragedy which took place a few years ago, Sen. Sam Aanestad has tried to pass Kristie’s Law which would create standards for such police pursuits. Sen. Aanestad was hoping to reduce the number of deaths due to high speed chases. Unfortunately this bill failed to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee. As a result, the citizens of California as well as the citizens across the country can expect to see another 114 innocent bystanders killed as a result of a high speed chase. The number of innocent lives taken due to high speed pursuits makes up about 42 percent of all deaths or injuries related to high speed chases, that’s almost half. In addition to these ridiculous and overwhelming numbers, police records also show that the majority of high speed police pursuits begin with a simple traffic violation.

While I do not wish to impose punishment on police officers who are trying to protect citizens, I do hope that standards and limits will be considered to protect innocent lives. It is important to me that criminals and traffic violators are caught and punished, but my life, as well as the lives of my friends and loved ones is even more important.