2007年VOA标准英语-Supreme Court May Limit Police in High-Speed Ch

By Sean Maroney
Washington, Dc
27 February 2007
 
watch Supreme¹ Court Hot Pursuit

 
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says more than 350 people die each year in police chases. These high-speed chases become especially dangerous when law enforcement officials hit a suspect's car with their patrol vehicle after the driver fails to pull over.  The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on whether this method violates constitutional protections.  VOA's Sean Maroney has the story.

High-speed police chases are dramatic, dangerous and often deadly.

Nineteen-year-old Victor Harris knows the dangers all too well after a late night on a damp Georgia highway.  With speeds topping 145 kilometers per hour, Harris failed to pull over for officers.  What happened next changed his life forever.

"Fifty six, sixty six. Permission to PIT him?" asks a police officer while pursuing the car. "Go ahead and take him out.  Take him out!" is the reply from his supervisor² over the police radio.

Deputy Sheriff Timothy Scott's decision to "take him out" is called a "Precision Intervention³ Technique."  An officer bumps a fleeing car at an angle to spin it out of control, forcing it to stop.

The move is risky⁴, and Harris' lawyer, Craig Jones, says his client paid too great a price when he lost control of his Cadillac and careened down an embankment. "My client is now paralyzed from the head down."

The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in Harris' case on whether individuals are constitutionally protected against this technique. The Fourth Amendment⁵ forbids unreasonable⁶ searches and seizures⁷.  So if the Court decides Scott acted unreasonably⁸, he will lose his immunity⁹ and could be sued.

 
Cities across the country are also considering whether to ban or limit these high-speed chases.

Jones says his client was just a scared traffic violator, driving with a suspended license¹⁰. "The mere¹¹ fact that someone is driving unsafely or driving in violation¹² of traffic laws, is that enough reason to be able to use deadly force to stop them?"

Deputy Scott's lawyer, Philip Savrin, says his client's actions were justified¹³. "It's about decisions police officers have to make on the spur of the moment when confronted with rapidly unfolding and dangerous situations.  It really isn't about Deputy Scott."

It is about how far police can go to stop a suspect from getting away.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

3 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

4 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

5 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

6 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

7 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

8 unreasonably   

adv. 不合理地

参考例句：

• He was also petty, unreasonably querulous, and mean. 他还是个气量狭窄，无事生非，平庸刻薄的人。
• Food in that restaurant is unreasonably priced. 那家饭店价格不公道。

9 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

10 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

11 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

12 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

13 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。