Six bystanders killed in pursuits; Friedman pushes for tech
Congresswoman Laura Friedman wants federal money to equip local police with grapplers, tracking darts and chase drones to end high-speed pursuits safely.
Six innocent people have been killed in the local area in the last two weeks, innocent bystanders killed by drivers in Southern California high-speed pursuits.
One congresswoman from the San Fernando Valley says police need better tools to prevent high-speed pursuits in the first place.
Congresswoman Laura Friedman wants the federal government to buy high-tech tools for local police across the country — tools to de-escalate chases.
One nearby assistant police chief has this high tech on his shopping list, but these are big ticket items. Rafael Frontero of Burbank Police.
The Grappler shoots a hook into a chased car, allowing a patrol car to drag an escaping vehicle to a stop. StarChase allows a cop to fire a tracking dart from the front bumper onto the bad guy's vehicle, to track its location in real-time. A chase drone can be automatically launched from a police car to track suspects on foot, so officers don't have to put themselves or the public in danger on the ground.
Friedman says right now, more than 94% of police pursuits end without any safe termination technology. No tire deflators, no immobilization tools. Officers don't have modern gear to de-escalate these chases before they result in a crash.