We have all seen high-speed police chases on TV. And statistics show that they’re as dangerous as they appear. 360 people are killed each year because of chases, according to a 2010 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Now, StarChase, a Virginia-based law enforcement technology company, wants to halt those risky pursuits with a device straight out of a James Bond movie.
The company’s device is a launchable GPS tracker that is mounted onto the grill of a police car. When a suspect flees in a vehicle, an officer can fire a small sticky GPS tracker onto the suspect’s car.
“Law enforcement uses this technology in situations where they have a high-risk vehicle,” said Trevor Fischbach, StarChase’s president. “That could be a stolen car, a car that has narcotics in it, it could be a DUI suspect.”
The GPS module is coated with an adhesive and won’t fall off. The officer then tracks the suspect with mapping software without having to engage in a potentially dangerous chase.
The device isn’t cheap. It costs $5,000 per vehicle to install StarChase, and each replacement GPS tracker costs $500.
Sounds far-fetched? The company recently announced statistics claiming that, on average, a suspect vehicle slows to within 10 miles of the posted speed limit less than two minutes after being tagged. Better yet, there were no injuries, fatalities or property damage, and police apprehended 80 percent of tagged suspects .
