FRANKLIN, Ohio (WXIX) – The Franklin Police Department now has new technology that will help them track down suspects who take off.
Star hunting is a launcher located on the front of a patrol vehicle that fires a potato-sized tracking device at a suspect’s car.
“StarChase is a new technology, or rather new to us, it’s been around for about 10 years,” described Franklin Division Police Chief Adam Colon. “Basically, it’s a GPS-mounted launcher on the front of our cruiser that allows us to fire a projectile.”
The projectile sends a signal to a satellite and allows officers and dispatchers to track the car’s location even if a suspect is driving out of sight.
“We can share information with other dispatch centers,” Chief Colon explained. “They provide us with a shared link, and they can connect and monitor and deploy resources.”
Franklin Police say it also gives them the ability to continue following a car even if they are forced to end a pursuit and in cases where the car might be stolen, it can also help track down those vehicles.
“This gives us the ability, when traffic is too heavy or conditions are unsafe due to weather or other factors, to slow down and back up if necessary,” the chief explained. “It’s not going to happen every time, but when it’s warranted, we can do it.”
Other agencies in southwest Ohio, including Cincinnati, also use StarChase technology.
“You can’t outrun a satellite and you can’t outrun the police forever,” Chief Colon said.
Franklin Police just deployed StarChase technology over the weekend of December 6-8.
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