Police Chase

Yesterday afternoon, a high-speed chase in Schodack ended with the driver abandoning the car on East St. in Rensselaer, after injuring a construction worker on South St. Rensselaer Police arrested Neil Dearstyne, 38. The injured worker was treated and released.

• Capital New 9: Chase ends in crash, worker hurt
• Times-Union: Fleeing driver injures worker and Chase suspect arrested

UPDATE: (Saturday, 12/20/08, 12pm)

Speeds during the chase apparently reached 120 mph as they entered Rensselaer. The driver is in jail without bail. The Troy Record claims the pursuit arose from an attempted pull-over for improper registration.

• Troy Record: Driver arrested after hitting construction worker
  
• Times Union: Man faces felonies after fast pursuit

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

In many cases, where the suspect poses no immediate danger to the public, it's the chase itself that causes the threat.

[Glenn Morshower, quote on Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY]

The U.S. Supreme Court [Scott v. Harris, 127 S. Ct. 1769 (2007)] recently chose NOT to rule that police must allow fleeing suspects to get away if they drive so recklessly that they put bystanders' lives in danger. However, the Model Pursuit Policy of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) states that:

The decision to initiate pursuit must be based on the pursuing officer's conclusion that the immediate danger to the officer and the public created by the pursuit is less than the immediate or potential danger to the public should the suspect remain at large.