Posted on 11/22/2013 1:09:12 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
When police decide to chase a fleeing suspect, the result can be deadly. Someone is killed each day in a high speed pursuit. And its frequently not the bad guy. Innocent motorists make up 42 percent of those killed. Its got cops around the country re-writing pursuit policies and looking for alternatives.
Im always constantly worried about that innocent person whos gonna get struck, says Iowa State Trooper Tim Sielman.
Thats why the Iowa State Patrol is now experimenting with the latest gadget aimed at reducing the number of pursuits. Its a mini air cannon that mounts on the patrol cars push bar. It fires a GPS device thats designed to stick to the back of the fleeing vehicle. The officer can then lay back at a safe speed and distance and track the suspect by satellite....
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I can't wait for the first time one gets tracked down and it turns up on another cop car.
Anyone notice how little steel is on new cars? With new CAFE standards there is going to be even less.
Pass a law that all auto drivers MUST HAVE a person on foot walking in front of them with a RED FLAG!
That should take care of the problem.
OPPS! It’s already been done, years ago!
That is real close for high speed driving. At that point you are already taking so many risks you might as well just close in and spin the guy out. I know LEO has some fancy name for it, PIT turn or something like that. LEO don't need some $5000 per car piece of gear. They just need to go to their local dirt track and spend an afternoon with some of the drivers. Guaranteed at any medium sized track there are guys that can show them how to spin someone out in a corner - the really good ones can make it look like an accident to race officials and avoid being black flagged. ;-)
There are so many points of failure here though.
Now I'm an engineer tech guy at heart, by training, and profession. So don't get me wrong, I love stuff like this. When everything works right this will be a pretty slick system. It looks to me like there are lots of ways for it to not work right though. I'd be surprised if this works in as much as 50% of their pursuits. Maybe that's enough to justify the costs & risks associated with it. Be interesting to see how it has worked after a year or so. Reliability of the system, ability of drivers to get into position, etc.
This is not a new idea.
I saw a news report, about 25 years ago, where cops cut a hole in the floor of their cop car, and set off a homemade rocket propelled devise designed to “short out” the electronics of the speeding car ahead. You had to get close, but it worked.
Our reliance on high tech gadgets is not a good thing.
Why not simply attach some wires and tase the whole vehicle with 2 meeellion volts! MOOOOOWAAAHAHAAAAAAA.
Whatever happened to that little ROV to be launched from the pursuit car, equipped with an EMP device to fry the electronics of the fleeing felon’s vehicle?
Maybe they should mount paintball cannons on patrol cars instead, to mark the vehicles for pickup down the road.
You can buy GPS trackers on eBay cheap ... I may just do what you suggest ... maybe the Mayors car!
Wow you’re right
20 bucks, LOL
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