LAPD to Chase GPS Darts
Techtree News Staff, Feb 04, 2006 1746 hrs IST
The Los Angeles Police Dept (LAPD) is all set to propel GPS (Global Positioning System) devices onto fleeing cars...
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How often do we see foreign television programs playing out live action sequences of cop cars chasing runaway vehicles - umpteen number of times...
But with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) all set to propel GPS (Global Positioning System) devices onto fleeing cars in order to track their location, such stunts might soon be a thing of the past...
LAPD will mount a device - chistened "StarChase LLC" in the grill of some of its police cars. Officers in these cars will control a green lazor light, similar to a compressed air gun which fixes on the target. Once the gun is fired a sticky dart fitted with a GPS will be propelled from the officer's car, which will stick to the fleeing vehicle allowing the police to track its location sans the need for a high-octane chase.
Each "StarChase LLC" device will fire 2 GPS enabled darts, in case the first one misses or does not stick to the target vehicle. Each dart will comprise a battery and a radio transmitter embedded in a sticky compound. The gooey dart will stick to the suspect vehicle and transmit the vehicle's exact location via satellite to police headquarters, where it will be superimposed on a map displayed on the computer.
The GPS tag will activate on impact, and will transmit the car's position via a wireless modem. An encrypted cellular backbone will deliver continuous location updates to the StarChase server, which will pass on the information to authorized users via a password-protected Web portal.
Sources in LAPD say that the delay between transmission and refresh-picture rate from the Web server will be about 2-3 seconds, and that the system will use data transmission encryption to ensure security. Apparently the StarChase platform has been approved by the National Security Agency (NSA).
The new technology is still in development, and LAPD expects trials to last for around 4 to 6 months. With the number of vehicle pursuits conducted by LAPD having gone up to over 600 in 2005 from 581 in the previous year, the department is hopeful that its innovative system will put a brake on the increasing number of high speed chases in the city.
USER COMMENTS
It's too bad that we have such a "SOFT ON CRIME" mentality in the court system. What's wrong with giving these "Don't give a damn about your safety" drivers at least 5 years of HARD TIME, and a loss of driving priviledge for life with a stipulation that if they are ever caught behind the wheel again it's 10 years.
by Ben Lindberg, Roseville, MN, on Mar 22, 2008 06:14 AM, Report abuse Reply
On the SOFT ON CRIME mentality, in Minnesota, you can have up to 15 DWI covictions before you are locked up. Taking the licence away is useless (according to the liars aka lawyers, because they will simply drive without a license. I look at it this way, unless the authorities provides them with a car in the cell block, they will NOT be driving, but that's common sense which is a subject they no longer teach in public school.
by Ben Lindberg, Roseville, MN, on Mar 22, 2008 06:22 AM, Report abuse
two to three second delay for update, and the police cruiser presumably farther behind than that - wonder if that gives enough time for the alleged badguys to stop and yank the things off their car. or, the just abandon that car and jack another. however clever, it sounds like treating the symptom rather than the root cause
by rick, sunnyvale, on Feb 05, 2006 12:07 AM, Report abuse Reply
This seems like a great idea to me, although there are obvious civil rights issues to be considered. I remember reading a book many years ago, where police fired a paintball at speeding cars in order to make them identifiable later. I guess it was only a matter of time before something like that came to fruition. I'd be interested to know how the 'root cause' should be dealt with (or even what it is)...
by Rob, Brisbane, on Feb 05, 2006 10:58 AM, Report abuse
lol Carry a paintball gun in the car and mark random traffic
by Nima, Tokyo, on Oct 25, 2006 09:54 AM, Report abuse
by amir, kuwait, on Feb 04, 2006 06:09 PM, Report abuse Reply
Most LAPD chases have a helicopter involved they can send the gps signal to the chopper who can keep a visual and then relay all the action to the crusiers following behind
by Gryphon, New York, on Feb 08, 2006 09:12 PM, Report abuse
Our company manufactures GPS Vehicle tracking systems which are useful for fleet owners to see speed direction and location of there vehicle in real time and also communicate back with the driver and the vehicle by even immobilizing the vehicle from the main server or through a cell phone
by digisec, new delhi, on May 27, 2006 11:22 AM, Report abuse
The technology is pretty darn cool but a better solution would be to outfit these police cars with laser guided missles. That would be a quick fix. A sure guarantee that idiots will think twice before trying to outrun the police.
by Anonymous, Phoenix, on Apr 15, 2006 11:46 AM, Report abuse Reply
I thought the whole point of high speed chases was to stop the offenders from driving dangerously and risking the lives of others? How can this help?
by dan, uk, on Feb 05, 2006 03:42 AM, Report abuse Reply
Usually they are driving dangerously because a pi$$ed off cop is on their tail. If they weren't running from the law, they might make a more leisurely drive to the hideout.
by jen, OKC, on Feb 08, 2006 05:08 AM, Report abuse
What keeps the driver from stopping and pulling off the gps or just splitting on foot?
by Clark Minton, Fort Worth Tx, on Feb 05, 2006 01:31 AM, Report abuse Reply
The driver might noy know that the device is attached to his auto. If the driver runs away, the police will take his car.
by Don, Chicago, on Feb 06, 2006 07:21 AM, Report abuse
i never saw a foreign tv show a chase and i had to look up the def of sans. but its a great idea....lots of cops just cant hold their tempers after a chase. i wish we could comment on every story from all sources.
by earl, roanoke va, on Feb 05, 2006 05:00 PM, Report abuse Reply
how about painting ur car with some kind of non stick teflon coating as part of ur getaway plan, if u don't want any gooey stuff stickin to ur car when ure runnin away with a few sackfuls of loot in the boot
by omega, shillong, on Feb 05, 2006 03:32 PM, Report abuse Reply
The idea is that once the cop stops the high speed chase - the bad guy will slow down and not be as much of a danger. This definately a step in the right direction.
by E G, Dallas, on Feb 05, 2006 04:04 AM, Report abuse Reply
Sounds like a good start to re-thinkig the whole high speed chase phenomina. It may not be the ideal answer, but it's a step in the right direction.
by Jeff, Medford, OR, on Feb 05, 2006 12:47 AM, Report abuse Reply
Interresting. We're developing a similar but more diverse product. Comments welcome. http://www.carpoon.com/
by Bill Henson, Gainesville, on Feb 04, 2006 10:49 PM, Report abuse Reply
this is a very good thing to have.. i wish they had this kind of tech. in my home state
by Daniel whitewin, crossville, on Feb 04, 2006 09:56 PM, Report abuse Reply
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Instead of shooting a GPS transmitter at the car, I suggest installing GPS transmitters in every human being on earth along with an explosive device that can be command detonated via an encrypted signal. Then when any individual breaks the law, a police officer can notify "Command Central" and the mainframe can take care of the rest. Or maybe this technology thing is getting out of hand...I mean darts that transmit positions? C'mon folks, the solution is more stupid than the fugitives. Besides with gas approaching $5.00 a gallon, we'll all be walking soon anyway (that is, except for piggy - he drives on our money!).
by Norbert Ewsra, San Benedetto, on Jun 25, 2008 10:26 AM, Report abuse Reply