Yeah this is dumb.
Police officers can and should stop people that break the law. Having kids in the back is irrelevant, and if it were relevant and police officers would not stop people with kids in the back, criminals would perpetually drive around with kids in the back.
On the other hand, police officers should be trained to just let fleeers go. You got their license plates, you'll be able to find them later at home, no need to start a dangerous chase over a traffic violation or something