The Police in Ramsey County, Minnesota, are utilizing Sticky GPS trackers to apprehend fleeing suspects with out resorting to harmful high-speed chases, The WaterStrider GPS tracker, developed by StarChase, is mounted on regulation enforcement autos and launched at fleeing vehicles utilizing a pneumatic launcher, attaching itself to the suspect’s automobile, offering real-time GPS coordinates and velocity to the officers.
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Workplace adopted StarChase tech within the spring of 2022, spending $36,000 on the product and tech help. The know-how is seen as a safer various to high-speed pursuits, permitting regulation enforcement to trace suspects remotely from their computer systems and coordinate arrests extra safely.
The system consists of a launcher powered by compressed air, mounted on squad vehicles, or behind the grille of unmarked autos — The launcher holds two cylindrical monitoring gadgets which might be fired on the suspect’s automobile utilizing a laser-assisted management panel contained in the squad automobile; As soon as connected, the GPS tracker relays real-time details about the automobile’s location.
The sticky GPS trackers are described as “part-magnet, part-adhesive” and are activated utilizing a heating factor that ensures the adhesive sticks even in moist or soiled circumstances. The trackers could be simply eliminated after suspects have been apprehended.
Woodbury police and town of Maplewood are additionally using StarChase know-how to scale back the necessity for high-speed chases. Woodbury police budgeted $60,000 for the system, presently put in in seven squad vehicles. The know-how has been profitable in aiding arrests and offers a safer various to conventional pursuits, which pose important dangers to suspects, regulation enforcement officers, and the group.
StarChase’s monitoring tag. (Picture: Official website)
Beneath Minnesota regulation, using GPS trackers is restricted to monitoring stolen vehicles, and monitoring can solely happen for twenty-four hours (until prolonged by a search warrant). Legislation enforcement businesses should take away the GPS tracker as soon as the stolen automobile is recovered.
The know-how has confirmed efficient in decreasing the dangers related to high-speed chases, with a median suspect apprehension price of 86% in comparison with a reported nationwide price of 72% for conventional pursuits. Regardless of its success, regulation enforcement officers emphasize that the know-how isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer and should be used judiciously in particular conditions.
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