It's a question of priorities.

The risk to the innocent public and officers themselves from police pursuits, while real, has never been statistically great. I would argue that the maintenance of law and order is worth that risk.

Societal order cannot be maintained, IMHO, when the law is only enforced upon those who willingly submit to arrest. The maintenance of an orderly society is not a default state. It requires the delicate balancing of all sorts of factors, and one essential element is the likelihood of consequences for those who violate the law.

The loss of this balance will result in a more chaotic, unjust, and violent society that will cause far more death, injury, and misery than police pursuits ever came close to causing. We are seeing more and more of this already in urban areas within "blue" states. The general "standing down" by the police is the main cause.

Many people agree with you, and believe police should be much more passive in how they do their jobs. I respect their opinion, and I respect the intelligent and civil way in which you expressed yours. I just wish I wasn't seeing that opinion from active cops. The profession will always have plenty of detractors from outside to push that viewpoint.