Might be seeing less high speed chases

[Run Away]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/07/lapd.gps.ap/index.html

Police Chief William J. Bratton unveiled a strange new weapon in the police department's strategy to halt high-speed pursuits -- adhesive darts with a global positioning system that are fired at fleeing cars by police.

Once fired from a patrol car, the GPS dart is designed to stick to a fleeing car, allowing squad cars to back off the chase.

"Instead of us pushing them doing 70 or 80 miles an hour," Bratton said, "this device allows us not to have to pursue after the car. It allows us to start vectoring where the car is."

U.S. Department of Justice officials suggested testing the StarChase system in Los Angeles. A small number of patrol cars will be equipped with the compressed air launchers, which fire the miniature GPS receivers in a sticky compound resembling a golf ball.

There were more than 600 pursuits in Los Angeles and more than 100,000 nationwide last year. Critics have long questioned the wisdom of police pursuits because they can endanger bystanders and officers.

Bratton, who often calls the city the car chase capital of the world, was asked why there are so many pursuits in Los Angeles: "There are a lot of nuts here," he said.

 

[Speed_Racer]

That doesn't stop the perp from smashing into a bunch of innocent bystanders, like a school bus full of kids or something like that.

How about this...if you run, you will be shot.

[ifcar]

If the police stop chasing him, chances are he won't drive as fast or as dangerously.  

[Laconian]

What about a HERF gun? You can safely kill the car at will with one of those babies.

[TBR]

Locally we've only had one recently, and it went right through a parade that I was in.

[hounddog]

If the police stop chasing him, chances are he won't drive as fast or as dangerously.

That's not actually true.  In some cases, it has been shown to help the driver feel he is getting away and drive faster.  

HERF gun thing is not realistic, as it has not been put into a package that won't burn the computers in every car around the squad.  Or so I understand.

The locator is a great idea, but I understand they will be somewhere in the $10,000 range to buy and install.  Not to mention the cost of the darts at around I would guess $500-$1500.   It is a great idea, but like many of the inventions to end all pursuits- won't be cost effective in most of the places in this country struggling to buy equipment and cars and pay employees and insurance.  

[L. ed foote]

How about this...if you run, you will be shot.

With one of these



"I told him to stop, he didn't wanna lissen' ain't dat right, Chauncey"
"Right, chief, right, I hoid it wit my own two ears"