A new company called StarChase has developed a way for police to shoot GPS trackers at cars to make car chases more careful and calculated.
The GPS gun, mounted on police cars at just a few departments across the country, is powerful enough for its adhesive to stick to vehicles but not lethal should an officer misfire and hit someone. Once the operator fires a round, the GPS sticks to the intended vehicle and sends location data back to the police car every three to five seconds.
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This eliminates the need to have all eyes on the target car, allowing officers to set up strategic blockades instead of engaging in mad dashes. According to a 2010 USA Today study, such car chases kill 360 people per year, around one third of whom are bystanders.
"We always try to help avoid the pursuit," Fischbach told Mashable. "We've had cases where there's been felony pursuits in progress and they'll actually use StarChase to help slow things down a little bit, because they'll be able to tag the felony vehicle and use different tactics. "
The trackers are catching on in a few locations throughout the country, such as in parts of Arizona.
In August, an intoxicated 18-year-old was flying through the streets of Mission, Tex., in a pick-up truck, trying to lose the red and blue lights that splashed across his rearview mirror. His heart stopped soon after barreling through an intersection and smashing into three vehicles, killing six people from a family of seven. A 3-year-old was the lone survivor.
Fischbach has devoted his life to preventing such accidents by trying to convince police departments to purchase the GPS tracking system, which has a price tag of $4,400 to 4,900 depending on the requirements to integrate the system with a department's vehicles. The cost may seem high, but Fischbach said no police department has complained or turned away due to the cost.
Fischbach hopes that as StarChase spreads, police departments will recognize its ability to minimize the risks of tracking a criminal behind the wheel.
"The mission it's out there to accomplish is to make the roads safer, to make law enforcement's jobs safer — and frankly, to make it safer for you and me driving home from work," Fischbach said.
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Image: Flickr, Eric Allix Rogers