FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office will soon have a new tool at its disposal it hopes will make car chases safer.
County commissioners recently approved a contract between the Sheriff's Office and a company known as StarChase, which sells products that "provide law enforcement with the ability to tag, track and safely apprehend a suspect without the need to engage a deadly high-speed pursuit."
Some cruisers will be outfitted with vehicle-mounted GPS launchers, which allow deputies to fire a GPS tag at a fleeing vehicle when a pursuit seems imminent. Authorities can then monitor the location of the tag with an "in-car mapping platform" and a mobile tracking app.
StarChase also sells handheld GPS launchers for situations that "require a tactical advantage."
There have been numerous instances of chases turning dangerous and, at times, deadly in recent years. Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. told county commissioners that some patrol cars were totaled this year in pursuits.
Forsyth County Chief Deputy Henry Gray told WFMY News 2 the risk of these high-speed chases can sometimes be too great.
"We got this technology for the safety, not only for the public, but for the pedestrians walking the street, and properties," Gray said. "No one's life is worth losing over a pursuit."
Before approving the contract, some county commissioners raised privacy concerns with StarChase's tracking system. Kimbrough told them he would work with his office's legal team to make sure they're compliant with all appropriate laws.
He added that when out in public, suspects don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
The sheriff's office will try the technology out on a one-year trial period.
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