The Woodbury Police Department is gearing up to employ a new tool starting August 1 to curb the dangers associated with high-speed police chases. Dubbed 'StarChase,' the GPS-enabled sticky launcher is set to provide a safer alternative to high-adrenaline pursuits. According to a report by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the state legislature has blessed a new law that allows the expanded use of GPS trackers in efforts to recover stolen vehicles.
The game-changing StarChase system consists of a launcher fixed on police cruisers, firing a trackable tag that adheres to a suspect's vehicle. It was described by Sgt. Chris Donahoe of Woodbury PD as, "It's like the big red button right that you're not allowed to push, but we get to push it," Sgt. Chris Donahoe of Woodbury PD told KARE 11.
The state of Minnesota saw over 3,520 police pursuits in 2021 with at least 48 people reported injured, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety noted. The tool's implementation was motivated by past incidents where pursuits for low-level offenses resulted in accidents and unnecessary loss of life.
Jonathan Farris, who lost his son in a police chase in Boston, now runs Pursuit for Change, a non-profit advocating for policy reforms and the use of technology to reduce chase-related incidents. "What are the things we can do not only to help innocent victims but to help law enforcement?" Farris posed to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
The initial costs for Woodbury PD to install the StarChase system were substantial, coming in at around $7,000 per vehicle. However, the investment is seen as justifiable considering the potential to save lives and improve public safety. While the tags used in the system are single-use, the department can exchange them for new ones upon retrieval.
