Canton police use new GPS tech to track vehicles

Officers will be able to launch a Star Chase beacon to attach to a fleeing vehicle and safely track it down later without a dangerous chase.

Canton police are utilizing new GPS technology to catch drivers who flee traffic stops, to prevent police chases and to save lives.

Officers are now using deployable Star Chase GPS tracking devices to avoid the chance of putting the public at risk by engaging in a potentially dangerous car chase, according to the agency in a news release. The police department acquired two of the GPS tracking devices this past summer and will be utilizing the technology to prevent future police pursuits.

“We are extremely grateful to have been able to purchase this important equipment,” Canton Police Department Chief Mark Mitchell said. “We strongly believe the utilization of the two systems will further enhance our efforts to protect our community, help maintain the safety of our officers and strengthen our ability to apprehend individuals involved in criminal activity.”

The technology is placed as a unit on the front of patrol vehicles and projects a GPS tracking device that clings to the back of a suspect’s vehicle and tracks the direction that the vehicle is heading. Mitchell said the device will help the department minimize the inherent dangers to the community and officers when a driver fails to comply and begins a chase.

“Officers will be able to deploy the tracking unit and immediately back off a suspect vehicle that attempts or actually flees,” he said. “Being able to discontinue a pursuit and then track the vehicle at a later time reduces the risks of very serious or even fatal accident that sometimes occur as the result of a vehicle chase.”

Using the Star Chase GPS beacon, officers tracked the vehicle using real time information and successfully took the suspect into custody with the help of Cherokee County Sheriff’s deputies, according to the news release.

Star Chase GPS beacons are worth $5,000 per unit, Mitchell said, and his agency hopes to purchase additional units in the future if approved.