Dangerous chases demand strong laws, strict courts

There has been an epidemic of police chases in the Mahoning Valley, two with tragic results.
In Warren, an Ohio State Highway Patrol car smashed into the car of a young Warren man, killing him Jan. 11. On Feb. 16, police were chasing a suspected robber in Youngstown when his car struck two others. A Struthers man in one of those cars died nearly a month later.
Drivers face charges: In both cases, the drivers were apprehended and they face a bevy of charges, up to and including manslaughter. That is as it should be.
Also, we believe that police departments are responsible for establishing strict guidelines to cover high speed chases. Such policies should balance the potential harm of allowing a fleeing suspect to escape against the potential danger to innocent bystanders or motorists if the chase is continued.
Officers who violate those policies should face severe disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, depending on the degree to which the policy was broken and any recklessness demonstrated by the officer.
Departments that don't police themselves will face certain repercussions for their negligence, including, almost certainly in this litigious age, large damage suits.
Punish all runners: There's something else that can be done, and that we believe should be done. That is to prosecute any fleeing motorist to the absolute fullest extent of the law when they are apprehended, regardless of whether they were the direct or indirect cause of an accident.
By the simple fact that they fled, they put themselves, the pursuing officers and the public at large in mortal danger.
That should be treated as more than a routine traffic offense.
Only when people know that the penalty for attempting to flee outweighs the potential gain of fleeing, will they stop.
That may require legislative action.
Several years ago, the Ohio legislature realized that its penalties for hit-and-run were too lenient. The low-level penalties encouraged some motorists to flee because they knew that even if they eventually got caught, the penalty was no worse than if had stopped. If alcohol was involved, and if by running they managed to elude police for even a few hours, they were further ahead.
Some people will always run. For those, police must be prepared and they must show sound judgment. For those who might be persuaded to stop when a cruiser's strobe lights go on, a strict law could give them the added incentive they need to do the right thing.