CCPD Goes High Tech to End High Speed Pursuits

The City Council approved the Culver City Police Department's request for pursuit mitigation technology from Staircase to prevent vehicle chases. In 2023, CCPD saw 55 pursuits, a 40% increase from the previous year. Forty of those were canceled, either based on the severity of the alleged crime or the dangerous driving patterns of the suspect.

The StarChase system allows an officer to remotely affix a GPS tracking device to a pursued (or about to be pursued) vehicle using an air pressure system to discharge the tracker from the front of a StarChase-equipped patrol car to the suspect vehicle. Once the tracker is affixed, its location can be tracked by an employee (StarChase Monitor) who is trained on how to use the system, using an electronic device through a web-based application. The use of the StarChase system can greatly enhance community safety for community members, officers, and suspects by mitigating the risks of pursuits. While StarChase will not eliminate pursuits completely, it can reduce the number of pursuits, and enhance safety during actual pursuits, while also increasing the ability for officers to apprehend suspects, recover stolen vehicles, recover stolen property, and recover other evidence of crimes.

StarChase provides law enforcement with the ability to tag, track, and apprehend suspects without the need to engage in a deadly high-speed pursuit, according to the company. The technology provides a mounting system that is attached to the front of a police vehicle's fender. Officers can deploy a foam tracking tag equipped with a magnetic adhesive layer that sticks and attaches to the rear of a suspect vehicle. Upon deployment, the GPS tracking tag provides real-time locations, speeds, and travel directions of vehicles that flee from law enforcement, allowing for the officer to disengage from the fleeing vehicle and go into "tracking mode," negating the need for officers to continue the pursuit. The devices cease tracking eight hours after deployment. The technology is currently used by law enforcement agencies in 30 states nationwide.