Whatever happened to the APB?

Do you remember what an APB is? Or was?

I know, there are so many acronyms out there nowadays. Even GOD is an acronym – Goofing Off Deity.

Think back to the show Adam-12. Some bad guy would rob a store, snatch a purse (no murse snatchings back then) or perhaps have a car tail light out.

The police would show up, the bad guy would run or drive away, and the cops would give chase.

The cops would get tired, due to a donut sugar rush, stop for a rest and then put out an APB on the assailant – an All Points Bulletin.

This would require all the cops in the city to keep a look out for the bad guy, even during donut breaks.

You never hear about APBs anymore. Why not? Didn't the system work? Wasn't it good for the more minor crimes that take place?

It seems better than the alternative.

In these modern times, time is of the essence. If some bad guy is running away, whatever the reason, it makes far more sense to shoot them dead.

Not only is it a great time and money saver, it sends out the right message for people who don't listen properly when a cop tells them to stop.

Isn't it worth a few dead people to get the point across? When the police ask you to stop running – like, say, when your parents asked you to stop running around the house – you stop running, or you'll never run again.

In Charleston, South Caroline, the incident on everyone's breath will also bode well for the economy.

No longer will evil doers drive around with broken tail lights. They will go straight to their mechanic for repairs. The economic benefits will be felt immediately.

I don't know, I guess I'm old-fashioned. Maybe we should find out why people are running before killing them.

I think we should bring back the APB – ASAP.