Iowa State Patrol testing 'GPS cannons'

Fox News ^ | November 21, 2013 | Dan Springer

[2ndDivisionVet]

When police decide to chase a fleeing suspect, the result can be deadly. Someone is killed each day in a high speed pursuit. And it’s frequently not the bad guy. Innocent motorists make up 42 percent of those killed. It’s got cops around the country re-writing pursuit policies and looking for alternatives.

“I’m always constantly worried about that innocent person who’s gonna get struck,” says Iowa State Trooper Tim Sielman.

That’s why the Iowa State Patrol is now experimenting with the latest gadget aimed at reducing the number of pursuits. It’s a mini air cannon that mounts on the patrol car’s push bar. It fires a GPS device that’s designed to stick to the back of the fleeing vehicle. The officer can then lay back at a safe speed and distance and track the suspect by satellite....

[nascarnation]

maybe stick it on another car.

I can't wait for the first time one gets tracked down and it turns up on another cop car.

[Clay Moore]

Anyone notice how little steel is on new cars? With new CAFE standards there is going to be even less.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Pass a law that all auto drivers MUST HAVE a person on foot walking in front of them with a RED FLAG!

That should take care of the problem.

OPPS! It’s already been done, years ago!

[ThunderSleeps]

As I understand it, you have to get within 20 to 25 feet. That is very close. A full size pickup is about 20 ft bumper to bumper. If they list that as the effective range, you can bet it probably works better from much closer, more like 10 to 15 ft.

That is real close for high speed driving. At that point you are already taking so many risks you might as well just close in and spin the guy out. I know LEO has some fancy name for it, PIT turn or something like that. LEO don't need some $5000 per car piece of gear. They just need to go to their local dirt track and spend an afternoon with some of the drivers. Guaranteed at any medium sized track there are guys that can show them how to spin someone out in a corner - the really good ones can make it look like an accident to race officials and avoid being black flagged. ;-)

There are so many points of failure here though.

• A 5K per car initial cost.
• Maintenance, training, practicing.
• During a chase you've got to get a cannon equipped car in the lead of the pursuit. Unless you're planning on equipping all the vehicles at 5K a pop.
• Then the insanely close approach which is going to spur the criminal to drive even faster, thinking he's not losing you.
• You've got to be within 20 feet and pointed directly at the vehicle briefly. Which means potentially maintaining that closeness for a while.
• If you miss, what is the danger to bystanders from the GPS shot careening down the street? Probably minimal since it doesn't sound like it has much behind it. But still that is non-zero risk.
• You miss. Is it an auto-loader or do you have to stop and manually reload? Thus meaning another pursuit car has to take lead?
• The perp hears a thump and immediately brakes hard and saws the wheel back and forth a bit, wiggling the rear end of the car he's driving. Thus using your pushbar to smash and scrape off the GPS device...
• Perp flees out of sight, knows he's being tracked. Stops first car he sees moving in a lot. Shoots driver to prevent description of car from getting to police and jacks that car.
• Savvy criminals start carrying GPS jammers in their getaway vehicles.
• Savvy cheap criminals make a broadband spark-gap transmitter for $5 in parts and blank out the transmission of the data from the device.

Now I'm an engineer tech guy at heart, by training, and profession. So don't get me wrong, I love stuff like this. When everything works right this will be a pretty slick system. It looks to me like there are lots of ways for it to not work right though. I'd be surprised if this works in as much as 50% of their pursuits. Maybe that's enough to justify the costs & risks associated with it. Be interesting to see how it has worked after a year or so. Reliability of the system, ability of drivers to get into position, etc.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

This is not a new idea.

I saw a news report, about 25 years ago, where cops cut a hole in the floor of their cop car, and set off a homemade rocket propelled devise designed to “short out” the electronics of the speeding car ahead. You had to get close, but it worked.

[BlueMondaySkipper]

[refermech]

Our reliance on high tech gadgets is not a good thing.

[SgtHooper]

Why not simply attach some wires and tase the whole vehicle with 2 meeellion volts! MOOOOOWAAAHAHAAAAAAA.

[JimRed]

Whatever happened to that little ROV to be launched from the pursuit car, equipped with an EMP device to fry the electronics of the fleeing felon’s vehicle?

Maybe they should mount paintball cannons on patrol cars instead, to mark the vehicles for pickup down the road.

[Neidermeyer]

You can buy GPS trackers on eBay cheap ... I may just do what you suggest ... maybe the Mayors car!

[nascarnation]

Wow you’re right
20 bucks, LOL