Law Enforcement Triumphs as Ludicrous 'Grapple' Gadget Concludes Pursuit with an Accident
High-speed police pursuits are notoriously perilous, leading to numerous fatal collisions annually. Despite the Department of Justice and top policing advisors urging officers not to pursuit evading suspects aggressively, certain departments are experimenting with innovative gadgets reminiscent of violent video games where the body count and property damage escalate the score.
The latest example can be found in a Facebook post from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office in Washington, showcasing a deputy chasing a driver who refused to stop in an allegedly stolen vehicle. The chase concludes as the deputy releases a Grappler, a net mounted on the front bumper that can be slipped under a vehicle’s rear tires, causing the fleeing car to veer off the road, smash through a chain-link fence, and crash into a tree. The driver allegedly fled but was later apprehended.
Grappler videos have become a popular social media trend among police departments and local TV news outlets across the nation. However, the device has also been linked to crashes resulting in fatalities and injuries.
In a noteworthy incident, Border Patrol agents in Arizona deployed a Grappler at an SUV on the interstate, causing the vehicle to collide with an oncoming tractor-trailer and burst into flames. Three people lost their lives, and eight were injured. In another case, a Grappler caused a police cruiser to roll over, while the suspect managed to escape.
Leonard Stock, the inventor of the Grappler, claimed that he developed the device after being inspired by a police pursuit TV show and had the idea during the middle of the night. As a roofer, Stock constructed the device by welding it to the front of his truck, and his wife drove the getaway car for the first test.
In a grant application to cover the cost of Grappler systems, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office argued that having access to technology such as the Grappler could minimize and prevent deaths and injuries among suspects, bystanders, and officers themselves.
An investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle found that 3,336 individuals were killed in police chases between 2017 and 2022, and an additional 52,600 were injured.
A 2023 report by the DOJ and Police Executive Research Forum advises police agencies to restrict pursuit scenarios and instead prioritize utilizing technology like drones or helicopters to monitor fleeing vehicles or identify and apprehend suspects at a later time using methods like license plate recognition.
While the Thurston County Sheriff's Office advocates for using technologies like the Grappler to minimize fatalities and injuries, the Department of Justice and Police Executive Research Forum suggest a shift towards utilizing drones or helicopters for monitoring and apprehending suspects, citing concerns over the potential harm caused by high-speed pursuits. The future of law enforcement tech could see a balance between innovative gadgets like the Grappler and non-confrontational methods to ensure public safety.
