StarChase is a company that produces GPS tracking devices of the same name, for law enforcement purposes. Developed from early 2006, the

less-than-lethal Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be lethality, less likely to kill a living target than c ...

vehicle tagging system tags, tracks, and locates a fleeing vehicle. The system was developed to reduce the need for an inherent danger of high speed pursuits.. The US

National Institute of Justice The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Offic ...

at one time was looking at technologies to reduce personnel and property damage, including tyre deflation devices, electronics interference (through electronic discharge immobilising devices, electromagnetic radiation devices, and directed energy devices), and remote tracking. StarChase components consist of an electronic tag in the form of a small, cylindrical projectile with one end covered in a viscous, industrial strength adhesive, which contains a battery-operated GPS tracker and

quad-band In telecommunications, a multi-band device (including (2) dual-band, (3) tri-band, (4) quad-band and (5) penta-band devices) is a communication device (especially a mobile phone) that supports multiple radio frequency bands. All devices which ha ...

transmitter (powered by a 1300 mAh

dry cell An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices. When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its nega ...

). The projectile is fired by compressed air from a small launcher on the front grille of a police car. The deploying vehicle must be within range of the offending vehicle. The tracking signal location is then monitored from a dispatcher's computer screen. In 2013, the vehicle-mounted solution was US$5000 per installation, and $500 for each bullet. By 2023, the device was US$5900. The StarChase system, as of mid-2013 was in use by the

Arizona Department of Public Safety Arizona is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the northwest and California to the west, and ...

Los Angeles Sheriff's Department The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff, sheriff's department in the United ...

Austin Police Department Austin Police Department (APD) is the principal law enforcement agency serving Austin, Texas. As of fiscal year 2022, the agency had an annual budget of $443.1 million and employed around 2,484 personnel, including approximately 1,809 officers. ...

, and other agencies globally including the

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...

. By early 2023, the company released a variation using a rifle platform called the 'Guardian-HX'. Based on the AR-15 rifle, pressurised gas propels the tracking projectile, and the rifle magazine well holds the battery. The projectile travels at , and has to be discharged by the rifle user within of the offending vehicle.

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Time Magazine: StarChase, one of the best inventions of 2007
Law enforcement equipment {{technology-stub

See also

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External links