GPS Tracking Bullets Give Police The Edge In Car Chases [Video]
GPS tracking bullets are already being used by police to make car chases easier. Florida and Iowa police have already adopted the technology to fire a projectile from their front grill at vehicles evading them, which tracks the vehicle even after the driver leaves line of sight. You might think you’ve lost them, but they are literally right on your tail.
This new technology is called Starchase, and it takes a queue from the James Bond films by making it near impossible for anyone to lose the police in a car chase. What it involves is a sort of foam projectile with a GPS device in the middle of it. It comes out of an air gun installed in the police cruiser’s grill, and after it’s been fired, it sticks to the car that the police are after.
GPS tracking bullets could come in handy in most dry-weather situations, though it could be difficult to make the projectile stick in heavy rains, something Florida is known for especially in Summer. The video above shows a trial explanation of an officer using the technology in St. Petersburg, Florida, with the officer using a remote device to aim with the car and fire at the fleeing vehicle.
Police are hoping that this new method could end up saving innocent lives in the process as the police can now back off after one successful firing and not risk further injury to pedestrians or property damage.
After witnessing the GPS tracking bullet system, Iowa state trooper Tim Sieleman told the local press, “If you had told me 16 years ago that I would have had a cannon on the front of my car, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
The downside to this particular advancement in law enforcement technology is the sheer cost of it all. The Starchase technology itself costs about $5,000 and each bullet will run the taxpayers back $500. In the end, though, with the decreased cost in lawsuits and property damage, lawyers and accountants should see that the system will actually save money for the state in the end.
Another downside is that once criminals catch on, they will find creative ways to make the technology ineffective. A few ideas come to mind, but we won’t share them here.
Don’t be surprised if the technology for this new system goes nationwide after a while, and gets smarter. The police can now find you with the GPS tracking bullet, and all it takes is one good shot. Just do yourself a favor and don’t give them a reason to chase you.
