In Hot Pursuit (DVD)

In the past few years, police car chases have become a staple of local television news, and a voyeuristic thrill for millions of viewers. The question left unanswered is why? Why do motorists run when they know the chase will likely end in an arrest or a crash? And why and when do police decide to chase? What is it that fascinates the public so much about these dangerous pursuits? IN HOT PURSUIT explores this phenomenon and gets inside the psychology of the modern-day police chase. Host Bill Kurtis examines the anatomy of a pursuit, probing the minds of the suspects to see how the excitement of the chase affects their perilous decisions. Viewers not only hear from law enforcement authorities and news directors, but from the suspects themselves, and we see how the fugitive, the media and even the police can turn these high-speed chases into deadly crashes.

• documentary