This chase happened in my home town Berea, Ohio. Bob Suregenor with the Berea Police force had the idea of mounting a camera in the car for a real time event recorder, which was a brand new idea. He is widely credited as one of the first to do it. There was some resistance as a few in enforcement didn't see the value in the idea, and others worried it would provide evidence used in actions against law enforcement. These bad guys had just violently robbed the Radio Shack store in town at gunpoint. As the vid starts, you here dispatch report the plates are entered, which indicates either the plates or vehicle or both are hot. This video was one of the first of this type anywhere, and made worldwide media.

Those 1988 Chevy police model cars were bad, A buddy bought one of these from the department later, my high-mileage stone stock 1985 Honda CRX-si killed it drag racing and to top speed of about 115. The Chevy would eventually catch and pass but it took several miles WOT to do it. They went to the bathtub Chevys which were even worse, the P-71 Fords were on the horizon changing the definition of purpose built public service vehicles forever.

Seeing this video again revived a dormant memory crooks preferred the big Oldsmobile for reasons we all know, just as criminals such as Bonnie and Clyde preferred V-8 Fords. Tough, fast, inexpensive. The comments want to say the Olds had a 350 but I'm thinking 403.

This video is choppy due to age of the tape, there is a better copy on YT but the poster edited it and edited the audio, this post is raw.


Edited:

 

That Chevy could use some EXTRA COOLING help, The 403 I had in a 78 Wagon sure did a good job for well over 200 K, the body gave up but the engine worked VERRY GOOD in the 85 Toyota Celica I put it in.
Thanks for sharing.

Johnny

 

Good video, that surely is the 80s, bonus points for holding up a Radio Shack.

Too bad it wasn't....