I have an odd fascination with televised police pursuits — not so much with the chases themselves as with the way they're covered. It connects up with my constant nag that late night TV shows should be less rehearsed, planned and edited, and instead be more spontaneous. I like TV where the folks on the broadcast or supervising it have no clue what's going to happen next…which almost never happens on so-called "reality" shows.
As I've mentioned before, my favorite local reporter for this kind of thing here in Los Angeles is a gent named Stu Mundel. This man I call "the Vin Scully of televised car chases" must live in a helicopter, hovering over the basin, always at the ready to zoom to wherever cops are following anyone. He gets a bit excitable at times but that's okay because it's honest and he's a welcome change from the anchor-types who seem to do nothing but recite a lot of clichés like "He's driving with no regard for the safety of others" or "This is a very dangerous situation."
News flash, newspeople: Police chasing a fleeing car is always a dangerous situation.
And I swear, I once heard another reporter who was desperate for something to say actually tell us, "We have been able to confirm that there is at least one person in the vehicle." That was a relief because I was so concerned that the police were chasing one of those driverless cars that had knocked over a Wells Fargo.
Anyway, here's a too-brief (4 minutes) segment that Mundel did last night for the local news about police pursuits…