THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 12, 1995 TAG: 9502100020
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
Hampton Roads' residents know it was a drunken driver who recklessly disregarded the law and killed two innocent people at the end of the multi-city, high-speed chase. The police who chased the drunk are not responsible for the ensuing car crash, nor do they deserve any of the blame for factors leading to the fatal collision. Although everyone wishes the driver could have been taken into custody without those tragic deaths, I am even more fearful about possible future events had the drunken driver escaped. With his driving record, it is obvious that he is the long-term threat to residents of Hampton Roads, not our fine men and women in blue.
If law-enforcement officers were prevented from pursuing every criminal trying to evade capture by simply driving fast, more would do so. It is only because most criminals know police will actively engage in high-speed chases that we have less of them.
ROGER A. GRIMES
Virginia Beach, Jan. 31, 1995 by CNB