By Police1 Staff
PHOENIX — Frustrated by police officers and innocent bystanders being injured or killed during high-speed police pursuits, Leonard Stock invented a device that could make pursuits safer.
The Grappler Police Bumper uses a heavy-duty nylon net that is lowered from the front of the pursuing officer’s vehicle with the press of a button, Fox 10 reported. The grappler wraps around the rear tire and axle of the suspect’s vehicle, bringing the car to a stop without forcing a collision. Once stopped, the officer can back the police cruiser away to a safe distance.
“The options right now are getting in front of a suspect vehicle to deploy tire spikes or using the pit maneuver or some type of smash up derby style process to stop a vehicle and the officer many times is pinned against a suspect vehicle,” Stock told the station.
President of the Peoria Police Officers Association Lon Bartel said ending a pursuit in a more controlled fashion “has huge value for law enforcement and the safety of the community as a whole.”
“If that thing holds up the way it appears it’s going to [be a] huge advantage for law enforcement,” Bartel said.