Seattle-area Police Use Adhesive GPS Trackers to Catch Fleeing Suspects, Prevent High-speed Chases
upstart writes:
Seattle-area police use adhesive GPS trackers to catch fleeing suspects, prevent high-speed chases:
The Redmond Police Department implemented new GPS technology last month that has helped result in three arrests.
The technology, called StarChase, uses a high-powered air compressor mounted on a police car to fire a GPS tracker at the fleeing vehicle. The tracker, which is coated in an industrial-strength adhesive, sticks to the car and allows police to follow it until it stops, without the need for a high-speed chase.
Once the fleeing suspect has parked their car, officers then safely drive to that location to question and potentially arrest the suspect.
Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe described it as "a tactical tool that allows our officers to make an arrest while keeping our officers, the suspect and community members safe."
Officers assigned to patrol cars equipped with the trackers spend a full day getting trained on their use. Ongoing training will be provided as the program grows, said Redmond Police spokesperson Jill Green.
The technology is funded by a grant from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority, which is a state board with representatives appointed by Gov. Jay Inlee from law enforcement and the insurance and auto industries.
[...] The 36 departments using the trackers reported apprehending more than 80% of the suspects whose vehicles they tagged. There were no reports of injuries, fatalities or property damage due to pursuits in those cases.
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