Chicago Cops Can Shoot at Fleeing Felons' Cars. Or Not.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Windy City’s police chief has issued new guidelines for the use of deadly force (shooting people, in layman’s terms). “Chicago cops will now be permitted to shoot at drivers or passengers in cases of felons fleeing in motor vehicles.” And there you have it, minus the shit storm that’s brewing on this bad boy. Of course, all TV cops already have that right, so why not the Chi Town Po-Po? “The liability to the City of Chicago could be astronomical.” Ah. Previously, on America’s Most Amazing Parting Shots, “Officers were allowed to use deadly force to prevent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another person, but it didn’t allow them to use force to apprehend a fleeing forcible felon,” said the paper’s police source. “If confronted by an oncoming vehicle, officers were simply told to get out of the way, unless they were put in great danger.” Good thing the policy told them to get out of the way, I suppose. Anyway, the cops have already gone into damage control mode.
More by Robert Farago
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Good way to encourage/ensure the felons have a gun to shoot back. Any chance bystanders are MORE likely to get shot? Only in the USA. Yee-ha.
Since many Chicago cops are felons does that mean they can shoot themselves? That will be a big improvement for the city.
Here in NM we just had a handcuffed felon reach a gun he had hidden in his pants shoot and kill an officer. Luckily, the officer had time to shoot and kill the felon before he bled to death. (The officer was shot in the groin) No doubt, this will be spun to blame the officer, since he and his partner didn't conduct an effective search immediately upon handcuffing the killer...The killer, as it now unfolds, is now suspected in 5 other brutal murders from Canada to California. Every time an officer stops a car, serves a warrant, or conducts a stake out, their life is literally at risk. Maybe we should give all law enforcement a day off each year (They aren't really doing anything anyway but eating donuts) and see what downtown ChiTown turns into by noon?