Editor:
No one needs to remind us of the number of police pursuits we've had in recent months. Who are these people who can capture the attention of the television viewers for up to an hour or more? Watching these police pursuits is enticing, to say the least. It is like being drawn by a magnet to the screen itself; we can't seem to pull ourselves away from it, not even for a moment. With police surveillance from above hovering about, the great number of police on the ground, why don't we call in the Army and Navy while we are at it? And, how much are these police pursuits costing us, the taxpayers?
A runaway vehicle is like a loaded missile detonated to explode upon impact. Although these runaway vehicles don't carry explosives, they have the potential of causing death at any time during the police pursuit.
One has to review the situation during World War I and II to see how the military handled these situations. Any enemy vehicle suspected of transporting explosives would be met with a barrage of artillery fire bullets of high velocity that could cut through steel. You can be sure that the military didn't allow these vehicles to get very far. Maybe it's time to put these police pursuits into the hands of the Army.
So, just who are these people? The media clearly shows us the faces of rapists, terrorists and murderers, but never the identity or faces of those being chased by police. What happens to these people once the police catch them and take them away? I don't know about you, but I never hear about them ever again. … Do they ever face a judge or go to jail or does the police department … hire them and give them a job?
Bill Alberico
Santa Monica
