MovieChat Forums > Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Discussion > In Documentaries About Criminals Of This...

In Documentaries About Criminals Of This Period, ...

posted 9 years ago by HijodelCid
3 replies | jump to latest

... it's constantly emphasized that a favorite trick of B&C and fellow delinquents to avoid capture was to cross state borders because the authorities of one state had no jurisdiction in other states, and therefore had no legal authority to arrest the crooks that had committed crimes in their jurisdiction.
Why did police of that time suffer that constraint that so obviously sabotaged their effectiveness? When and how was it removed?

God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)

[–] MrGKB 8 years ago

Google is your friend. 

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[–] dannieboy20906 8 years ago

In theory we are a federation of 50 sovereign states with a strong central government. State law enforcement officers today do not have the authority to pursue criminals across states lines without permission of the other state. These days most contiguous law enforcement jurisdictions, including municipalities and counties within the same state, have agreements in place allowing hot pursuit and coordinate with one another via radio. In addition, since the creation of the FDIC and other measures bank robbery has become a federal crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has authority to pursue bank robbery suspects.

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[–] HijodelCid 8 years ago

Yours is a very satisfying reply; thank you very much.

God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)