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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Los Angeles’ Car Chase Culture

    In 1994, 95 million people tuned in to watch O.J. Simpson’s slow-motion police chase live on television. This past weekend, the Los Angeles Times released an investigative report about car chases, which found that the LAPD leads the state in bystander injuries. One in 10 LAPD pursuits results in injury to a bystander.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Oct 19, 2015 • 1 min read

    In 1994, 95 million people tuned in to watch O.J. Simpson’s slow-motion police chase live on television. This past weekend, the Los Angeles Times released an investigative report about car chases, which found that the LAPD leads the state in bystander injuries. One in 10 LAPD pursuits results in injury to a bystander. We rewind the clock to examine how the car chase became such a cultural institution in this city in the first place.

    The full episode

    2 of 5
    Car Chase Culture, the Decline of the Paparazzi and DNA’s Dark Side
    1. 0:00Sanctuary Cities Targeted by Lawmakers
    2. 8:10Los Angeles’ Car Chase CultureYou’re reading this
    3. 17:11The Rise and Fall of the Paparazzi
    4. 25:52The Dark Side of Forensic DNA
    5. 41:40TV Roundup: 'America’s Next Top Model,' 'SNL' and More
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Brian Lowry

      Variety

    • KCRW placeholder

      Geoffrey Alpert

      Professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina.

      News

    The full episode

    2 of 5
    Car Chase Culture, the Decline of the Paparazzi and DNA’s Dark Side
    1. 0:00Sanctuary Cities Targeted by Lawmakers
    2. 8:10Los Angeles’ Car Chase CultureYou’re reading this
    3. 17:11The Rise and Fall of the Paparazzi
    4. 25:52The Dark Side of Forensic DNA
    5. 41:40TV Roundup: 'America’s Next Top Model,' 'SNL' and More
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand