It's way too long of a story to bother posting in its entirety. Click to read the long version:

https://kc-bike.blogspot.com/2007/11/...e-of-doom.html

Short version:

I got out late this morning, got blown by (safely) by four high-speed police cruisers on my way to the bus. Had I left on time, I could have likely gotten creamed by an evading motorist.

I used to live in a very bad area, and I almost got creamed by police chasing thugs twice.

I think we should get to publicly stone cops to death for chasing people through city streets and red lights like that. It looks pretty cool on television, but it is scary as hell when you witness it or get in a near miss with it. Most cops are ******** cowboys. We had an innocent citizen get killed from it not long ago here in Wichita.

Likewise here in one of the suburbs of Kansas City, just a few weeks back.

Man, you just hate to hear these stories...but unfortunately is isn't as uncommon as one might think.

Nice alliteration: The cops' clamoring klaxons wailed coarsely behind me.

Thanks. I'm convinced that my occasional wordplay is one of the few reasons people actually come back to my site.

Not alliteration or "word play", but definitely quotable!

The more you generalize the more idiotic you appear.
Most police are doing their jobs. End of story.


---------------
Several months ago I came upon several motorcycle cops sitting on the trail I use. They had closed it for a police chase that happened nearby. I had to detour about 8 miles to find a route through the area that was closed off. Such a lovely ride through industrial areas filled with potholes and obnoxious drivers.
At least I avoided the actual chase. That and I was able to watch the long lines of cars stuck in a traffic jam caused by the adjacent streets being closed.

Obeying the law is evading police detection.
Sheriff Tanner
Beaufort County, SC
(From a speech during orientation of a citizens law enforcement education course.)

If a criminal had stolen someone's beautiful new Serotta we would be hearing calls for the police to shoot the dirty thieves right on the spot. Yeah, let the criminals call the shots.

I fail to see how this particular sheriff's opinion has anything to do with mine. *shrugs*

IF . . . big word!

Nice.
Your beef is with reckless criminals, not honorable police seeking to uphold law and order.

Look, the road I ride on is a ghost town at 6:00 in the morning. I've even ranted about this same road before, where a company truck stopped directly behind me and made an unsafe pass even though there was a completely desolate lane to my left. The officers were hauling ass, but they were staying left, and I didn't feel in jeopardy. Most of the police chase bike/ped deaths I've heard of were due to being hit by the inexperienced, intoxicated, or "******** cowboy" evaders, not the police officers. I'm sure it happens, but blaming officers for deaths in a high-speed chase is like blaming fire-fighters for deaths in an arson.

I can't count the number of times I've seen police do unbelieveable things in traffic without regard to safety.

I really believe a lot of them are thrill-seeking more than they are trying to uphold law and order. Sure, a handfull of 'em may have noble intentions, but not all (or even most).

You do realize that your verbiage paints police officers as cautious and courteous beings, right? I suppose you like phrases such as "I could care less if..." and "irregardless"?

Haha! Exactly!

Police are just doing their jobs. Criminals are the ones who people need to get on the cases of.

EDIT:
Cops' clamoring klaxons coarsely calling....dunno

If it s OK to chase criminals with two ton cars ignoring every traffic law, then why not just pull guns on them and fire wildly at them? Hell, why not mount a 50mm machine gun on the car and just open fire? Why not fire at criminals fleeing on foot with crowds of innocents around?

Absurd?

No more absurd than what they are already doing. They are using deadly force to capture a criminal with as much chance of harming or killing an innocent as harming or killing the criminal.

When the police give chase in this circumstance, they are just as much at fault as the criminal.

It is ridiculous that while a gun is considered deadly force, a car is not. You would think a person reading this forum would understand this.

Soooooooo sorry for using a double negative on a web forum. It pains me to get a red mark on my paper

Are you telling us the fleeing criminals are driving courteously, obeying the speed limit, using turn signals, coming to complete stops, and giving pedestrians & cyclists the right-of-way?
You feel it's only the police officers driving aggressively?

I think people evading a chase are going to be taking more risks and certainly driving much faster than they otherwise would be, yes. Don't the police have helicopters and radios and a fleet of cars at their disposal? Why can't they just let them go on their way, and lay in wait for them in their path?

Then again, boys will be boys.

Because SOMEONE still has to maintain visual until the chopper arrives, and in this case, two of the 3 suspects bailed, and they had to seal off the area, fast.

That is called counterpoint, look it up and turn the comprehension dial up some.

And maybe they need to be given new guidelines for doing their jobs. Or not. Discuss.

Then it is a piss poor counterpoint. Congratulations, you win the asshat contest.

There would certainly be less criminals...