StarChase


StarChase is the trade name of a less-than-lethal vehicle tagging system developed early in 2006 to tag, track and locate a fleeing vehicle of interest to police. Its components consist of an electronic tag in the form of a small, cylindrical projectile with the end covered in a viscous, industrial strength adhesive, which contains a battery-operated GPS tracker and Quad-Band transmitter, fired by compressed air from a small launcher on the front grille of a police car. In 2013, the system was available in four US statesIowa, Florida, Arizona and Colorado — and cost $5,000 to install, each bullet costing $500. The system was developed to reduce the need for, and the inherent danger of high speed pursuits.
Upon deployment to a target vehicle, the tag begins broadcasting its position to the dispatch center. Catching the vehicle, even without air support, now becomes a matter of strategic interdiction, rather than mere pursuit and interception.
The StarChase system, as of mid-2013 was in use by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Austin Police Department, and numerous other agencies all over the world, such as the Ontario Provincial Police.