DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Police in Dearborn Heights are set to become the first department in Michigan to receive new innovative technology with the hopes of reducing the number of high-speed chases in the city.
In a high-speed chase, every second counts. The longer it lasts and the faster it gets, the more lives that are put in danger.
“We self-terminate a lot of the pursuits,” said Paul Vanderplow, director of Support Services with the Dearborn Heights Police Department.
Vanderplow says the city has had over 130 chases this year, often stolen vehicles. It's an issue growing across metro Detroit.
“You have to chase these suspects because they need to be brought to justice, but you also can't endanger things,” Vanderplow said. “We needed to find some way to make contact with these individuals without causing damage or putting people in danger.”
So the department found what they hope is a solution: new technology from a company called StarChase. It's an adhesive GPS-tracking dart that police can shoot at a suspect's vehicle. Once it sticks, police can back off but still know where the vehicle is at.
“We're going to mount it within the grill here," Vanderplow said pointing to where the firing mechanism will be attached to the front of the police car. "It’ll be flush with this so it’ll be hard to tell which vehicles have it and which don't.”
The darts will be used only for chases, and police say they'll first begin with putting them on a limited number of vehicles. The darts are fired using compressed air, so it won't cause injury or damage to vehicles.
Dispatch will be able to track the darts for hours after they’re shot and even if the suspects stop, ripping the tracker and it's adhesive material off a car isn’t easy.
“It's going to take you some time to get it off," Vanderplow said. "Hopefully, enough time for us to close the distance and either effect the arrest or recover the vehicle.”
Officers can deploy the dart from inside the car, or even outside with a remote in case a driver suddenly takes off during a traffic stop.
“Putting a dart on the vehicle, it’s a little bit radical," Vanderolow said. "But we think in a couple months or the next year or so, this will become common practice for the agencies in the area.”
Some Dearborn Heights residents are on board.
“I've seen a couple of chases that have happened in front of me,” resident Oliver Pelic said. "Crashing into them, pitting them, doing all that stuff, it's really dangerous for not only the officer but the person as well. So to keep everyone safe, I think it’s kind of cool.”
It's a unique new tool that, according to city council meeting documents, will cost the city just under $20,000 a year to start, and it's possible grants could be used to pay for it. It's a cost police say is worth it.
“The cost of this system we find is minimal compared to the possibility of rolling a vehicle, the loss of life, injury to citizens,” Vanderplow said. "We believe it’s a solid investment to keep our officers and citizens safe."
The department hopes to have the equipment installed in a few weeks.
