Ashley Brown was about 27 weeks pregnant when she was killed as a bystander in a high-speed chase on North Main Street in early April.
Colombian police were searching for a suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a man at a JT Kia dealership earlier in the day. Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said at the time that the police pursuit lasted “less than a minute” when an officer crashed into Brown's car. A police officer was also injured in the accident.
Now, Columbia City Council members want police to test two new technologies that could help avoid dangerous pursuits in the future.
“I can't talk about this situation from a fault line standpoint,” City Councilman Tyler Bailey said. But “if we can use technology that can assist police officers in apprehending suspects while reducing the potential for harm to officers and the public in the process, that's something we should consider.” ”
Mr Bailey wants the council to support pilot programs for two technologies designed to reduce the risk of police pursuits.
The first technology is called StarChase and is marketed as a “high-speed tracking alternative.” The company specializes in launchable GPS devices that police can attach to vehicles they want to track.
GPS trackers can be activated by police from a vehicle or mobile device at the beginning of a pursuit, and then allow police to track suspects without having to remain within the wanted driver's line of sight.
The second device Bailey wants the city to test is called a “grappler police bumper,” which would allow police vehicles to attach a web-like object to the rear wheels of vehicles they're pursuing. It becomes like this.
Bailey doesn't know how much the two technologies will cost the city, but he's asking his colleagues on the City Council to discuss the topic in future committee meetings.
“Things cost money,” Bailey said, admitting he doesn't yet know if the city will have the money to spend on new technology, but he'd like to get that information. The city's current budget for police is $47 million.
He said the first step would be to agree some form of pilot program to see if both or either technology would be useful to police.
Bailey added that the goal is not to eliminate high-speed chases, although he acknowledged that they may be necessary in some cases. He added that he believes Colombian police will have support for trying new things because they are adept at “21st century policing.”
Other U.S. cities have already begun testing the device. New Haven, Conn., spent $85,000 a year on a 14-device StarChase pilot in 2022. Renewing the program will cost New Haven an additional $15,000 each year, the New Haven Independent reported.
Minnesota television station Kare 11 reported that the Minnesota county purchased three StarChase devices, spending $4,700 on each unit and an additional $1,200 annually for GPS tracking services.
Grappler technology is estimated to cost about $6,000 per device, plus about $600 to replace the net once it is used, according to the Albuquerque Journal, which reported that the Albuquerque Police Department is testing these devices. ing.
The media also reported that the use of a grappler caused a stolen truck to overturn and two people to be taken to the hospital.
Bailey said he doesn't know if either or both devices are suitable for Columbia, but he hopes the city is willing to consider the issue. He is pitching the idea at Tuesday's regular Columbia City Council meeting.
