Livonia Police Department’s recent car chase scenario highlighted the effectiveness of a new pursuit-intervention tool known as “The Grappler,” a net-based mechanism designed to safely halt fleeing vehicles, in their bid to address the ongoing challenge of vehicle pursuits—especially those involving impaired drivers—according to reports from FOX 2 Detroit and ClickOnDetroit. Livonia Police Captain Eric Marcotte is cited emphasizing the controlled nature of the Grappler’s intervention, which, during the incident, ensnared a drunk driver’s vehicle, preventing potential harm while limiting deviations from the road lane and ensuring no swerve or unintended trajectory resulted from the maneuver.
During a chase last week, initiated after reports of a car swerving dangerously, the Grappler was deployed as the suspect fled from officers near 8 Mile and Middlebelt. The situation transpired after Livonia police officers attempted to stop a vehicle believed to be driven by an intoxicated individual, identified as Jason William Wise, 52, from Flint. As the chase persisted, police were able to engage the Grappler, effectively immobilizing the vehicle and avoiding a potentially hazardous outcome, bringing a menacing episode on the city streets to a safe resolution.
The technology in question involves a netting shot from a patrol car’s front bumper, which entangles around the suspect vehicle’s rear tires and axle, offering a controlled means to slow and stop the target vehicle at a distance deemed secure by law enforcement. “It we do a pit maneuver, we’re not sure where they’re that’s going to end up, so with this Grappler everything is controlled, coming to a nice slow stop and officers are able to approach the vehicle once they feel safe to do so,” Marcotte told FOX 2. In a similar vein, ClickOnDetroit reports Marcotte as noting that previous tactics for ending pursuits could place officers at risk…