General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPolice are shooting James Bond-like GPS bullets at cars
Called "StarChase," the system is reportedly in use in Iowa, Florida, Arizona and Colorado, and it sounds pretty expensive. The BBC says it costs $5,000 to install to a squad car, and each GPS-enabled "bullet" it fires costs $500.
However, that cost may be justified when considering the potential costs and safety issues of the high-speed car chases the StarChase system could prevent. As soon as the GPS device is attached to the car, police are advised to stop chasing a suspect and simply track his or her location remotely. Police can then apprehend these suspects once they've reached an area with a lower chance of collateral damage.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/police-are-shooting-james-bond-gps-bullets-cars
lame54
(35,294 posts)Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)A phone on the car. Costs less than $500.00. How is this going to work if the suspect changes cars. LOL!
NoOneMan
(4,795 posts)But the alternative is running over people. So, you know.
unblock
(52,256 posts)i'm sure they could remove the non-essential parts and wrap it in something sturdy enough to reliably withstand the journey from cop car to suspect vehicle and stick there, but, well, there's your $500 price tag.
gopiscrap
(23,761 posts)Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)So if they do try to switch cars the police should be there to catch them as they do so.
MineralMan
(146,317 posts)We've recently had two uninvolved people die here in the Twin Cities due to those chases. They need to stop.
Response to FarCenter (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
madokie
(51,076 posts)But I wonder if it wouldn't be better than possibly causing a wreck that would cause harm to innocents people
Most everything in life is a trade off of some kind
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)But hey, thats no fun.
Initech
(100,081 posts)Kaleva
(36,312 posts)For use by the U.S. military
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)Codeine
(25,586 posts)That's a remarkably silly viewpoint.
I would also point out that nearly every major weapon system on the planet, made by nearly every industrialized country you care to name, uses GPS in some part of its operation.
petronius
(26,602 posts)pulling over quickly and just yanking the thing off? And what happens if it fires when a pedestrian, cyclist, or motorcyclist is in front of the car?
Still safer than pursuits, however - I'm glad to see ideas on how to avoid those activities...