High-speed chases

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The South Carolina Supreme Court says the state is liable for damages that result from the always high-risk decision by law enforcement to engage in a high-speed chase. A report in The (Rock Hill) Herald says the court unanimously upheld a $250,000 jury verdict against the state Department of Public Safety for a 1997 Highway Patrol chase in York County that resulted in the death of Amy Clark, a 21-year-old Winthrop University student.

It is not yet clear how law enforcement will respond to this ruling. But if it stands, the precedent this sets may push police to make high-speed chases exceptionally rare. Ultimately, public safety would benefit. There are some instances where high-speed chases are necessary. However, national studies argue that most high-speed chases stem from relatively minor infractions.

The high-speed chase in the Clark case is, at least, defensible. Troopers stopped Mark Clyde Johnson, who was driving in a stolen van. He fled, nearly running over a patrolman. Troopers pursued him down U.S. 21 in Rock Hill and into Fort Mill, where the van crossed the center line and struck Clark's vehicle head-on.

Wisely, the Highway Patrol requires a supervisor, who has the discretion to end a chase, to monitor all high-speed chases. In this case the supervisors on duty were occupied. So this precaution isn't foolproof.

Ultimately, the unsafe conditions created by chases are often a far greater threat to public safety than the suspects who might be driving with a suspended license. The public expects those criminals to be apprehended. But no one thinks it's worth the life of a loved one.