Virginia Beach, Va.– StarChase announced that its Pursuit Management System has successfully completed its first deployment with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AzDPS) and is now commercially available for law enforcement agencies across the country.
The patented Pursuit Management System reduces dangerous high-speed pursuits by providing a mechanism for remotely tagging and tracking the suspect vehicle. The system launches a GPS tracking device from the police vehicle. The GPS tag adheres to the fleeing vehicle, allowing law enforcement officers to pull back while dispatchers track vehicle location and movements via a secure, Web-based mapping application.
“The StarChase Pursuit Management System is a culmination of years of technology development and testing to make sure we designed the most reliable, safe and effective interdiction strategy possible for high-speed chases,” said Sean Sawyer, vice president and chief technology officer for StarChase. “Now that we have achieved that goal, we are working to ensure all law enforcement and government agencies are able to benefit from the system’s unique capabilities.”
AzDPS is the first state agency to utilize the StarChase Pursuit Management System and has used it with success multiple times during incidents where traditional pursuits would have occurred. So far, the use of the StarChase system led to several stolen vehicle recoveries, arrests and the discovery of 10 undocumented immigrants smuggled over the U.S.-Mexican border.
“Our agency has greatly benefited from the Pursuit Management System. Because the smuggling of drugs, guns and humans is so prevalent along Arizona’s highways, we at DPS must use all of the tools available to us to apprehend those committing such crimes, especially if the suspects decide to run from our officers. The StarChase system not only helps us track and apprehend fleeing suspects, but it helps us locate them and take them into custody without engaging in pursuits that could jeopardize public safety,” said Roger Vanderpool, director of AzDPS.
“AzDPS recent stolen-car recoveries and subsequent arrests, all without having to engage in high-speed pursuits, is proof positive that the Pursuit Management System is a new answer to a serious issue,” said Trevor Fischbach, director of sales and business development for StarChase. “Now there is a proven alternative to high-speed chases and other potentially dangerous strategies that will save lives and reduce damage to vehicles and other property.”
About StarChase
StarChase LLC (www.starchase.org) is a company specializing in tagging and tracking pursuit management solutions for the law enforcement sector. The privately held company is based in Virginia Beach, Va., and has been in operation since 2001. The StarChase products are patent protected in several countries, including the United States.