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https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/lynnwood-police-gps-tracking-technology-reduce-pursuits/281-ff380020-9d56-49d2-b9b3-fd3346b45824

Lynnwood police using GPS tracking technology to reduce pursuits
At the press of a button, a small air compressor inside the squad car’s
engine bay can propel a GPS tracker through the air and onto the back of
a suspect’s vehicle.

Author: Sebastian Robertson (KING5)
Published: 10:22 PM PDT June 27, 2023
Updated: 10:24 PM PDT June 27, 2023
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LYNNWOOD, Wash. — The Lynnwood Police Department (LPD) is adopting a new
technology they say will help them keep up with suspected criminals
without having to chase them.

The new tech and tactics come as departments across the state are
learning to operate under new guidelines.

A small box that sits on the front of a squad car is the latest in tech
and is designed to tail a suspect who, for whatever reason, doesn’t want
to pull over.

“With the recent law changes regarding pursuits this gives us another
option,” said Sgt. Brad Reorda, a detective with the LPD.

At the press of a button, a small air compressor inside the squad car’s
engine bay can propel a GPS tracker through the air and onto the back of
a suspect’s vehicle -- a system known as StarChase. Lynnwood police say
they must have reasonable suspicion of a felony crime before they fire away.

“It’s really safer for everyone. The officer doesn’t have to engage in
that pursuit, we don’t have to worry about what the other person how
erratic they’re driving, we’re able to deploy StarChase and then just
hopefully follow from a distance,” said Reorda.

Lynnwood isn’t the first in the area to use it. Redmond police have been
using it since January of this year.

“Just the latest iteration in tools and technology to improve the
profession of law enforcement,” Chief Darrell Lowe of the Redmond Police
Department told KING 5 in February of 2023.

State laws passed in 2021 imposed limits on when law enforcement can
pursue suspects -- with exceptions for violent crimes and domestic
violence among other circumstances. In April of this year Governor Jay
Inslee signed a bill that slightly lowered the bar for police to
initiate a chase – specifically changing the threshold from “probable
cause” to “reasonable suspicion.”

Washington State Patrol adapted to the regulations by taking to the air.

“They’re not expecting it at all, they have no idea they’re being
surveilled from the air,” said Chris Loftis of the Washington State
Patrol told KING 5 in May.

Loftis says WSP is relying more than ever on their fleet of five
aircraft to crack down on everything from speeding to street racing. For
Lynnwood, their arsenal of GPS trackers is at the ready -- a tactic they
say will be deployed only for suspected felony cases and say the device
only emits a signal for about eight hours.

“You’ve seen the evolution of pursuits and laws change and everything,
so this is just another tool that allows us to do it and again it’s
really just safer for everyone.” Reorda continued.

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