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posted by janrinok on Thursday February 16 2023, @09:52PM   Printer-friendly

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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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Thursday February 16 2023, @10:30PM (8 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Thursday February 16 2023, @10:30PM (#1292075)

    Because, if I were fleeing the law and they hocked a loogie onto my window with a battery and chip in it, pretty much the moment I felt I had "lost 'em" I'd be out there peeling that booger off with a spatula and maybe even sticking it onto another vehicle for yucks.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Thursday February 16 2023, @10:34PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Thursday February 16 2023, @10:34PM (#1292078)

      P.S. - if you're planning on being a potential high speed pursuit target:

      https://www.thesignaljammer.com/product-category/gps-jammers/ [thesignaljammer.com]

      I would strongly advise not using that while John Law is still in sight, wait until they think they're safely tracking you from a distance, then pop that puppy in the cigarette lighter until you've got some random direction distance on the heat.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MIRV888 on Thursday February 16 2023, @11:21PM (4 children)

      by MIRV888 (11376) on Thursday February 16 2023, @11:21PM (#1292088)

      My garage is a Faraday cage so I just pull in, close the door, and I'm invisible.
      ;-)

      • (Score: 5, Funny) by weirsbaski on Thursday February 16 2023, @11:50PM (2 children)

        by weirsbaski (4539) on Thursday February 16 2023, @11:50PM (#1292091)

        My garage is a Faraday cage so I just pull in, close the door, and I'm invisible.

        Sheriff: "Deputy, where'd the suspect go? He was on the scanner a minute ago!"
        Deputy: "I don't know, he was pulling into the driveway at 742 Evergreen Terrace, then we lost the signal!"
        Sheriff: "Damn, that guy's 3 moves ahead. We'll never find him, we don't know where to even start looking."

        • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday February 17 2023, @03:55PM (1 child)

          by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 17 2023, @03:55PM (#1292178) Journal

          Some police departments do have an upper limit on IQ when hiring. [I googled it on the internet, yes really, so it must be true!]

          --
          People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 18 2023, @12:38PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 18 2023, @12:38PM (#1292358)

            I believe a LOT of people are hired for obedience, with intelligence strongly contraindicated, as if the salutoid they hired actually thought about what he was told to do, he might not do it.

            Read Stanley Milgram's Obedience to Authority to see what happens when an Engineer was told to electrocute someone. He disobeyed, then turned them into the authorities!

            Authority people do not like to be questioned, worse yet, disobeyed by underlings having ethics and moral compass dissonances.

      • (Score: 4, Funny) by Tork on Friday February 17 2023, @02:30AM

        by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 17 2023, @02:30AM (#1292104)
        Or you could just get your car repainted, that'll remove your wanted level.
        --
        🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
    • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Saturday February 18 2023, @08:34PM (1 child)

      by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Saturday February 18 2023, @08:34PM (#1292436) Homepage Journal

      You would have to know it was there. It was over a decade ago I read about them making this, it's a projectile. If it hits your trunk or back bumper you won't know it's there.

      Took 'em long enough to get it into production... or have they been quietly using it for years?

      --
      mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
      • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday February 18 2023, @09:17PM

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Saturday February 18 2023, @09:17PM (#1292448)

        Question is: how quietly does it impact and attach? In the context of a high speed chase you might not notice a little squishy thump, but also in that context if the Cops (bad boys bad boys wha'cha gonna do) suddenly give up the pursuit, there's your first clue.

        Like Leia in the Death Star departure scene "they let us go, that's the only explanation for the ease of our escape."

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Mojibake Tengu on Friday February 17 2023, @12:03AM (7 children)

    by Mojibake Tengu (8598) on Friday February 17 2023, @12:03AM (#1292093) Journal

    Does industrial-strength adhesive still adhere to surface prepped by WD-40?

    --
    Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
    • (Score: 4, Touché) by MostCynical on Friday February 17 2023, @12:32AM

      by MostCynical (2589) on Friday February 17 2023, @12:32AM (#1292096) Journal

      Guns - check
      ammo - check
      masks - check
      pre-slimed get away vehicle - check

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    • (Score: 2) by sonamchauhan on Friday February 17 2023, @02:07AM (4 children)

      by sonamchauhan (6546) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 17 2023, @02:07AM (#1292103)

      Who knows? But they'll use magnets next

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Mojibake Tengu on Friday February 17 2023, @04:52AM (1 child)

        by Mojibake Tengu (8598) on Friday February 17 2023, @04:52AM (#1292122) Journal

        I know quite well. I actually used WD-40 magic to remove various industrial adhesives from glass and metal. Most stickers and tape adhesives chemically collapse under it, sometimes coagulating funny, sometimes becoming totally inert.

        Good luck at impact with shooting fragile neodymium magnets...

        --
        Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
        • (Score: 2) by sonamchauhan on Friday February 17 2023, @10:24PM

          by sonamchauhan (6546) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 17 2023, @10:24PM (#1292290)

          Stickers you say, eh? Thanks - I have a stubborn sticker on my dishwasher that's been there years. Let me try WD-40

          Those attachment events don't have to be bare neodymium directly impacting metal. It could be a combination of glue, bending struts to soften impact and a group of conformal magnets. Magnets by themselves are not enough - I remember my friends ancient Land Rover with an aluminium body.

          In fact, the police cruisers would do better to deploy a high speed drone to independently navigate, monitor and optionally attach the tracker on the roof of the target car. Something about shooting a high speed projectile in public spaces makes me nervous.

      • (Score: 2) by canopic jug on Friday February 17 2023, @05:44PM (1 child)

        by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 17 2023, @05:44PM (#1292207) Journal

        Who knows? But they'll use magnets next

        In the 1990s, they came up with harpoons [spokesman.com] which can pump teargas but never really adopted their use [autoblog.com]. With all the electronics in the cars nowadays, it is probably possible that a modified version could be fitted with electrical charges to killenough of the thousands of chips [electronics-sourcing.com] to make the mobile computer network stop rolling under its own power. But maybe that would take out steering and other controls too.

        --
        Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
        • (Score: 2) by sonamchauhan on Saturday February 18 2023, @01:45AM

          by sonamchauhan (6546) Subscriber Badge on Saturday February 18 2023, @01:45AM (#1292310)

          Thank God it was never approved. And trust the Finns to hunt land whales! :-D

          I'm not sure an 'electrical' version of this harpoon fired from the pursuing vehicle could 'Taser a Car'. Unlike humans, automotive electrical busses are too well insulated -- so vehicle chips don't fry unless an electromagnetic pulse of the nuke variant is let loose. Even lightening strikes may not fry chips (https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-cars).

          I think tracking a car (via overhead drone, like I posted elsewhere in this thread) and spike strips are the safest bet.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 17 2023, @08:23PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 17 2023, @08:23PM (#1292267)

      If you can shoot an industrial strength adhesive, you can shoot a cartridge of high explosive... I'm just sayin'. Somebody's got to protect the children.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Friday February 17 2023, @03:21AM (3 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 17 2023, @03:21AM (#1292110) Journal

    I remember when a lot of police departments were being pressured to end high speed chases. Some departments were beginning to respond in a positive way to that pressure. Seriously, there is seldom a genuine need to get involved in a high speed chase. Get the license plate number, and you will find the car soon. Get a picture of the driver, and the license plate number, you'll be pretty damned sure that when you find the car, you will also nab the suspect. People knew all of that, more than twenty years ago.

    Then, 9/11/01 happened. And, the cops returned to their normal macho-man life-or-death pursuits. Fucking adrenaline junkies. They'll blow through a school zone at 80 mph just when school is letting out, because they can't allow some jerkwad to get away with a rolling stop at an intersection.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday February 17 2023, @01:56PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday February 17 2023, @01:56PM (#1292160)

      >Seriously, there is seldom a genuine need to get involved in a high speed chase.

      Sheeeuuuut, half them deppities never would've joined the force ifn they can't get 'em a good high speed chase now an' again.

      On the other hand, some of them are pretty professional about it. One night on I95 I was passed by a happy looking couple in a convertible doing about 120mph... a few minutes later a Highway Patrol came down the left lane at what appeared to be exactly 90mph with his lights on, but apparently obeying the terms of engagement.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday February 17 2023, @04:00PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 17 2023, @04:00PM (#1292179) Journal

      Get the license plate number

      So called 'sovereign citizens' (itself an oxymoron) ain't got no need o' dem license plates because dey nose their rats!

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 17 2023, @05:32PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 17 2023, @05:32PM (#1292205)

      Then, 9/11/01 happened. And, the cops returned to their normal macho-man life-or-death pursuits. Fucking adrenaline junkies. They'll blow through a school zone at 80 mph just when school is letting out, because they can't allow some jerkwad to get away with a rolling stop at an intersection.

      Next you'll be saying cops can't draw weapons and shoot negros suspects. No shootin' and no car chases, there'll barely be anyone signing up.

  • (Score: 2) by Nuke on Friday February 17 2023, @06:57PM (1 child)

    by Nuke (3162) on Friday February 17 2023, @06:57PM (#1292240)

    FTFA :

    Once the fleeing suspect has parked their car, officers then safely drive to that location to question and potentially arrest the suspect

    Yes, I'm sure the suspsect will wait patiently by the car until the cops arrive. I'm sure they won't dump it somewhere and get as distant from it as possible, and even if they do own it - claim it was stolen.

    • (Score: 2) by Booga1 on Saturday February 18 2023, @10:32AM

      by Booga1 (6333) on Saturday February 18 2023, @10:32AM (#1292353)

      While that will certainly happen from time to time, the main purpose of forbidding high speed chases is to reduce the amount of death and injury to innocent bystanders. Does it suck to let people "get away with it?" Of course it sucks, but is it worth innocent lives to catch a car thief?
      There will be changes to the laws and policies as people get fed up with the increase in stolen vehicles. Also, the non-pursuit policy incentivizes fleeing, as crooks know they won't be chased. This does lead to more uncaught suspects, but hopefully it also reduces the amount of damage and death that frequently result from those pursuits.

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