A question for the LEOs out there

[ltljohn]

I saw this on the Philadelphia news, police chase a stolen vehicle, vehicle crashes and as the suspects are being put into the patrol car one of them manages to steal the police car and drive off. The police car was later found across the river in New Jersey.

How can that happen????

[DaveTheAffable]

I'm guessing that you're suprised or amazed, but not really asking "how" it happened. We don't know unless they tell us. From the news report, "A second suspect was arrested at the scene; however the suspect was able to free himself and stole a police cruiser." It just doesn't tell us much.

- Keys left in ignition? Suspect slipped his handcuffs? Suspect picked handcuffs? Smart Start system on patrol car failed? WAY too many possibilities. We could armchair quarterback for weeks on this one...lol.

 

I guess that's kinda like asking:

 

- How did the doctor not see the medication on the patients allergy list?

- How did the judge miss the suspects previous convictions?

- How did my BMW mechanic miss 2 fairing screws when he put my bike back together?

 

Life is dynamic. Stuff happens.

[ltljohn]

Found a link to the news.

http://cbs3.com/local/Police.Chase.Cruiser.2.678162.html

[motorman587]

Shit happens. As a patrol officer my first 6 years of my 20, I can say that I had more than one, slip the handcuffs off or move them to front. You tried to not lock them to tight to get the complain and you also double lock them, but there was one or two that could wiggle out of them. Lucky our patrol vehicles had a cage in them so the bad guy or gal could not get to me or the front seat.

[ltljohn]

I bet they will never live it down in the locker room.

[Dundee387]

Motorman summed it up best; "shit happens".

[Dundee387]

I agree. Lockeroom is the toughest part of our city. It's 1/2 the reason to goto work.

[DaveTheAffable]

I bet they will never live it down in the locker room.

That is usually tougher than the public ridicule!

[casticus]

Happened to MSP (Michigan State Police) in our jurisdiction a few years back. Really drunk young female slipped her cuffs and b/c they don't have security cages she jumped in the front and drove off (you may have seen this one on wildest Police chases). We ended up ramming the cruiser several times and shooting tires out...Of course we didn't mind not our car

[dba]

One thing I've tried to do as an LEO is not to armchair quarterback how other cops handle their calls. I've read numerous accounts of how some officers get killed in the line of duty and as cops we sometimes think, "Why'd he/she handle something like this and end up getting killed?"

 

Most patrol cars have systems in place to keep someone from taking off with them or accessing any weapons without the keys. Some occasions are tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving and sometimes even something as small as taking out the keys can be over looked.

 

The fact of the matter is exactly what Dave said and that life is dynamic not static and unless you're the cop on scene or the bad guy, no one else knows how your patrol car got stolen. At the end of the day, it's an AMC (Ain't My Car). As long as I get home to my family each night, things will work out fine.

[Christian_rider]

Has not happened to me and I hope it never does but I have seen it too. I actually blew the engine out on an older car trying to catch another newer police car. Bad things happen out there and so many variables. I would rather someone get the car than someone die at the scene. The details are not there, nor should they be as it would only further educate the criminals.