| Industry | Vehicle tracking system |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 January 2001  |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Website | starchase |
StarChase is the trade name of a less-than-lethal vehicle tagging system developed early in 2006 to tag, track and locate a fleeing vehicle of interest to police. Its components consist of an electronic tag in the form of a small, cylindrical projectile with the end covered in a viscous, industrial strength adhesive, which contains a battery-operated GPS tracker and Quad-Band transmitter (powered by a 1300 mAh dry cell), fired by compressed air from a small launcher on the front grille of a police car.[1]
"GPS bullets are latest weapon for American police; It sounds like something out of a James Bond movie - GPS bullets that can track the location of a suspect's car"]. BBC, 29 October 2013.</ref> The system was developed to reduce the need for, and the inherent danger of high speed pursuits.
Upon deployment to a target vehicle, the tag begins broadcasting its position to the dispatch center. Catching the vehicle, even without air support, now becomes a matter of strategic interdiction, rather than mere pursuit and interception.
The StarChase system, as of mid-2013 was in use by the Arizona Department of Public Safety,[2] Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Austin Police Department,[3] and numerous other agencies all over the world, such as the Ontario Provincial Police.[4]