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A big I-Team investigation takes you on the chase.

Three deaths over two days caused by people running from the cops. The crashes raised questions about how police in our area handle those situations.

Our question: What is a police officer supposed to do when a suspect takes off?

This is worst case scenario: a drunk driver in a stolen mini-van leading Waukesha Police and state troopers on a high speed chase the wrong way down I-94

"This vehicle was in a position to effectively hurt somebody seriously, and we could not stop it," said former Waukesha Police officer Brian Dorow. "Cars were coming at us, so I was doing everything I could to effectively monitor the vehicle, but yet let the traffic know ahead of us that we are in your lane heading in your direction."

Dorow was driving the lead squad and knew one wrong move could mean catastrophe.

"You have no idea why they're running," said Dorow." "Do they have warrants? Are they wanted for homicide? Have they just committed a crime?"

In late 2004, Chopper 4 caught a horrific crash in Glendale that ended a high speed chase through three counties. The driver of the car she hit died at the hospital.

In 2006, Chopper 4 followed police chase that started from Cudahy, reached speeds of 100 miles per hour through the Milwaukee, and ended in Shorewood when the driver gave himself up.

It's a situation all police officers prepare for.

"You never know." said Hartland Police Captain Mike Bagin. "Every time you make a traffic stop, that's a potential pursuit."

Bagin is also a master instructor at Waukesha County Technical College where nearly 100 Wisconsin police departments get their pursuit training. The instructors' goal: get inside the officer's head.

"We really want officers to consider when it appears that a pursuit is beginning, when that person starts to take evasive action, we want them to consider, do I need to chase this car," Bagin explained.

It's a split second decision, the first of many that requires focus.

"I'm thinking of coordinating additional units to help. I'm thinking of if he slams on his brakes and flees from his vehicle, what am I going to do? If he hops out with a weapon, I have to be prepared to react to that," said Bagin from behind the wheel of his training cruiser.

At the same, officers must maneuver their cruiser safely; keep track of other traffic, weather, and road conditions.

Still, no matter how much training they have or how many years they've been on the job, the bottom line is this: an officer never knows what's going to happen when he flips on those lights to tries to stop somebody. In some cases, that's all it takes for someone to start running.

"We have no control over it, and the tragic consequences we see over and over," Bagin said.

Early New Year's Eve, Milwaukee Police officers tried to stop an SUV for a missing license plate when the driver took off. Police broke off their chase within seconds, because the roads were wet, but the SUV kept going. UW-Madison student Shanica Adkins died when the SUV blew through a light and slammed into her car at Sherman and Center streets.

A day later, two teenagers in a stolen SUV killed two men in another wreck at 27th and Locust streets while running from MPD officers who tried to stop it using lights and sirens.

"If I see any evidence that these stops are inappropriate, or if I see any evidence that the chases are inappropriate, of course I'm going to step in," warned Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

But after an MPD review of the two crashes, Mayor Barrett believes the officers acted responsibly and consistent with their training.

"We can't set the standard that they can flee," Barrett said. "That certainly is not acceptable in our city."

Barrett blames the three deaths on reckless criminal behavior and unfortunate timing.

Since police can't stop making traffic stops out of fear a suspect might run, we asked Captain Bagin how do we make people feel safe.

Bagin's response: "That's a really good question."

A question with no good answer.

"If they want to run, they're gonna do it and all we can do is react to that," Bagin said.

In addition to the training dozens of police departments receive at WCTC, we had hoped to highlight how the Milwaukee Police Department trains its officers. However, the department's public relations manager pulled the plug when we told her our story planned to showcase other agencies' training, too. After all, MPD isn't the only agency in our area that deals with these incidents. Still, it's clear how difficult and dangerous these situations are for police departments and the public.