Instead of safely bringing the fleeing suspect to a stop, the device broke and the car nearly hit a parked officer
- Seattle police used the Grappler during a chase to stop a fleeing suspect’s vehicle.
- The device failed, sending the suspect’s car careening toward a parked officer’s car.
- This incident and others raise questions about the tactic’s safety and effectiveness.
Police have to do whatever they can to catch suspects. In their bag of tricks are several tactics including one called the Grappler. Now, after officers in Seattle used one that failed to successfully stop a suspect, questions about the efficacy and safety of the technology are popping up.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office in Washington recently posted about its first use of the device, which is apparently a net mounted in the patrol car’s bumper. Designed to entangle a suspect’s rear wheels and then remain attached to the pursuing officer’s patrol car, the system is supposed to enable the police to slow and control a fleeing vehicle once deployed. In the Thurston County incident, that’s not exactly what happened.
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Instead, officers deployed the device only for it to snap and break off as they tried to slow the fleeing suspect in a Honda sedan. As a result, the driver of the fleeing vehicle lost control, nearly smashed into a parked officer, and then went through a fence and into a tree.
For his part, Sheriff Derek Sanders praised the technology, despite its clear failure, to Fox News saying “We’re going to use these grapplers, we’re going to use these PIT maneuvers, all these different tactics to get these individuals stopped as soon as possible.” To his credit, Sergeant Chatterton of the same department clarified that “it can be a safer tool.” Interestingly, he then went on to talk about “other agencies” who use the PIT maneuver and how they “go off and spin out and crash… this tool doesn’t do that.”
No doubt, the Grappler can reduce the risk to officers who could otherwise spin out themselves after a PIT attempt. Carscoops has highlighted such instances in the past, including those where the suspect gets away. Of course, in cases just like this one, the risk of the car slamming into other cars, including innocent bystanders, isn’t negligible.
Gizmodo points out in its coverage that one use of the Grappler in Arizona led to eight injuries and three deaths. Another one in North Dakota resulted in a police cruiser flipping over and injury to the officer driving. Undoubtedly, these incidents don’t look great for a technology designed to increase safety for all involved. Perhaps it’s time for departments across the country to consider the tactics outlined by the Department of Justice in 2023, namely, reducing pursuits in favor of tracking suspects with other means, such as drones and helicopters.