Police firing GPS tracking 'bullets' at cars during chases

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  • freedive10

    -Global Mod-, Caballoloco
    Rating - 100%
    30   0   0
    Sep 17, 2008
    2,163
    63
    Mandeville
    SAY WHAT!?


    Police firing GPS tracking 'bullets' at cars during chases

    In Iowa and Florida, they have a new method of chasing suspects. The police car's grill opens up and out is projected a better method of keeping up with the vehicle they're chasing.

    Car chases are exciting, but fraught.

    One slip of the wheel, one errant pedestrian, one drunken driver, and difficult consequences may follow.

    Police in Iowa and Florida, however, seem to have taken the counsel of Q from the "Bond" movies.

    Instead of constantly hurtling after potential madmen, they have found an entirely new method of tracking their cars.

    It's called Starchase. Essentially, it's a cannon that fires "bullets" that are sticky GPS devices.

    CBS 12 offered an example in real life of how it's done.

    Iowa state trooper Tim Sieleman seemed rather mesmerized. He told CBS 12: "If you had told me 16 years ago that I would have had a cannon on the front of my car, I wouldn't have believed it."


    Officers in St. Petersburg, Fla., also are testing the system. As ABC News reports, the operation of the compressed air gun (not too unlike the sort that fires T-shirts into the crowd at NBA games) is quite simple.

    The officer in the driver's seat presses one button, the grill opens, and the gun fires the bullet.

    If all goes well, the bullet, with a GPS device enclosed, sticks to the back of the car being pursued.

    Once it does, the officer can slow down, because the suspect's car will be tracked along the computer screen.

    One further advantage, of course, is that the suspect's car will likely feel the police have given up and hopefully slow down.

    This seems so blindingly intelligent -- at least until miscreants catch on -- that there can't be a drawback.

    There is one. The system costs $5,000, and each bullet sets the taxpayer back $500.

    As usual, a wise accountant and a conscientious bureaucrat will huddle together to see if it's all worth it.

    However, for the passerby, won't it be fun to see police car grills open up and bullets being shot out of them?

    Click link for Vid. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57609416-71/police-firing-gps-tracking-bullets-at-cars-during-chases/#!
     

    LACamper

    oldbie
    Premium Member
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jun 3, 2007
    8,629
    48
    Metairie, LA
    I'm waiting for reports of the first foot chase suspect to be hit by one of these! You know its coming... not to mention the 'practical joke'... sit here in front of my squad car. Oops... smack to the back of the head!

    Thinking long term as the technology improves... I can see officers armed with paintball guns with gps trackers. Let him run... I'll pick him up later.
     

    CEHollier

    *Banned*
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    8   0   0
    Dec 29, 2007
    8,973
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    Prairieville
    My concern would be collateral damage to an unintended target. Could cost the department $$$$$$.
     

    RedStickChick

    -Global Mod-
    Premium Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 6, 2012
    3,014
    38
    Baton Rouge
    I watched the video yesterday and think it's a great idea.

    I also love how when they showed it being used on the red truck, you can obviously hear the officer say "Yes!" when it hits the bumper. The sound it makes makes me crack up laughing every time for some reason.
     

    Phill

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Mar 15, 2011
    258
    18
    Prairieville, LA
    Only 1 out of 4 stuck.:rolleyes:
    They need to make these guns to shoot out the nastiest tar-like ball they can find.
    Something that if the criminal attempts to remove, it makes a complete mess on their hands.
     

    ajt2341

    Rock out w/ ur glock out!
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Jul 6, 2008
    490
    18
    Lafayette, LA
    My concern would be collateral damage to an unintended target. Could cost the department $$$$$$.

    The GPS might be $500/pop, however if it's an air cannon I can see some people loading something else in to it and playing around; however the t-shirt guns don't ever do much damage.
     

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