A Professionally-Handled Pursuit

So, having expressed ideas that are critical of police and current training, it's fair to note a well-handled pursuit and arrest down in Forsyth County, Georgia. This is the county where I grew up, though it is nothing like it was when I was a boy:  it has more than ten times the population it did in the 1970s. As a consequence of becoming a rich suburb of Atlanta, it has a large and well-funded Sheriff's department. 

Here they apprehend a fleeing Dodge Charger with out of state plates, which proved to be full of armed felons from Chicago. Note not only the well-handled pursuit and takedown, but the manner in which they did not open fire in spite of having reasons to do so (e.g., the opaque windows preventing them from seeing into the vehicle, and its repeated attempts to escape them even after they had rammed it into a ditch). 


I don't know any of the deputies still serving on the force, although I grew up knowing quite a few because of my father's work with the Volunteer Fire Department. These young fellows responded well to provocation and excitement, and handled the matter with clear professionalism. 
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3 comments:

  1. Mike Guenther4:56 PM

    I remember when Oprah Winfrey brought her show to Forsyth County back in 87. I was still living in Atlanta at the time in Tucker. It was a big deal back then.

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  2. Elise4:56 PM

    What struck me about this is how frightening it must be for the officers. I knew that intellectually, of course, but watching the pursuit and then watching them try to deal with a car full of people they cannot see really brought it home to me. Impressive the officers are willing to do this work and impressive they did it so well.

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  3. Assistant Village Idiot5:54 PM

    Having worked with acute psychiatric emergencies my entire career, much of this rings true for me. You are right to keep clanging the bell for this "peace officer" approach and praising those who show the necessary emotional self-control* to get this accomplished wisely. Yet I feel obliged to point out what many of you already know or can intuit, that there is seldom much praise or reward for those who get this right, but abundant criticism when things go just beyond what such mature efforts can contain. In those instances, there are plenty of folks who will say "you should have just clamped down on, or even shot the bastards." Rewards and incentives add up over time, and the ratchet is always going to go toward the Roman Legions putting down rebellions with brutal force, because it works in the short-term, most basic sense.

    *When I mention that an IQ minimum is necessary for all jobs, but other characteristics become much more important beyond that threshold, I am thinking of this. Emotional self-control and calm evaluation is way more important in these circumstances than an additional 30 points of IQ would ever be.

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