Wednesday, February 08, 2006

The LAPD is no fun anymore

In a move that's sure to piss off Southern California TV news producers, LA Police Chief William Bratton introduced something that's being called a "GPS gumball" the other day.
Police Chief William J. Bratton unveiled a strange new weapon in the police department's strategy to halt high-speed pursuits -- adhesive darts with a global positioning system that are fired at fleeing cars by police.

Once fired from a patrol car, the GPS dart is designed to stick to a fleeing car, allowing squad cars to back off the chase.

"Instead of us pushing them doing 70 or 80 miles an hour," Bratton said, "this device allows us not to have to pursue after the car. It allows us to start vectoring where the car is."

[...]

There were more than 600 pursuits in Los Angeles and more than 100,000 nationwide last year. Critics have long questioned the wisdom of police pursuits because they can endanger bystanders and officers.
Well, yeah, but on the other hand, they can be entertaining as hell. If you don't live around here, you might think I'm crazy for saying this, but high speed chases are great TV, mainly because there's always a chance that the one you're watching will end violently, although most of them don't.

Hey, if hoping to see a car theif or drug dealer die in a hail of police gunfire is wrong, I don't want to be right.

For an archive of car chase videos, click here.

1 comment:

Muslihoon said...

I agree! Entertainment and law-enforcement wrapped up in one! If police did not engage in car chases, the public would condemn them for letting criminals get away. This new device is real cool, though. Hah! Though the decrease in drama will not please me.

When I moved from relatively violent, unsafe, and turmoil-filled Pakistan to the relatively secure, stable, and safe United Arab Emirates, I kind of felt bored. Too safe and quiet. No civil war, or strikes (called "payya jaam" or "jam the wheels" strikes because those who would not observe them would have their wheels disabled; a strike in Pakistan means no one goes out or goes to work), or assassinations; no presidents suddently ousting prime ministers. My parents were less than amused at my thoughts.