LYNNWOOD, Wash. — The Lynnwood Police Department (LPD) is adopting a new technology they say will help them keep up with suspected criminals without having to chase them.
The new tech and tactics come as departments across the state are learning to operate under new guidelines.
A small box that sits on the front of a squad car is the latest in tech and is designed to tail a suspect who, for whatever reason, doesn’t want to pull over.
“With the recent law changes regarding pursuits this gives us another option,” said Sgt. Brad Reorda, a detective with the LPD.
At the press of a button, a small air compressor inside the squad car’s engine bay can propel a GPS tracker through the air and onto the back of a suspect’s vehicle -- a system known as StarChase. Lynnwood police say they must have reasonable suspicion of a felony crime before they fire away.
“It’s really safer for everyone. The officer doesn’t have to engage in that pursuit, we don’t have to worry about what the other person how erratic they’re driving, we’re able to deploy StarChase and then just hopefully follow from a distance,” said Reorda.
Lynnwood isn’t the first in the area to use it. Redmond police have been using it since January of this year.
“Just the latest iteration in tools and technology to improve the profession of law enforcement,” Chief Darrell Lowe of the Redmond Police Department told KING 5 in February of 2023.
State laws passed in 2021 imposed limits on when law enforcement can pursue suspects -- with exceptions for violent crimes and domestic violence among other circumstances. In April of this year Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill that slightly lowered the bar for police to initiate a chase – specifically changing the threshold from “probable cause” to “reasonable suspicion.”
Washington State Patrol adapted to the regulations by taking to the air.
“They’re not expecting it at all, they have no idea they’re being surveilled from the air,” said Chris Loftis of the Washington State Patrol told KING 5 in May.
Loftis says WSP is relying more than ever on their fleet of five aircraft to crack down on everything from speeding to street racing. For Lynnwood, their arsenal of GPS trackers is at the ready -- a tactic they say will be deployed only for suspected felony cases and say the device only emits a signal for about eight hours.
“You’ve seen the evolution of pursuits and laws change and everything, so this is just another tool that allows us to do it and again it’s really just safer for everyone.” Reorda continued.