Ontario police force looking to GPS darts as alternative to dangerous pursuits
TORONTO — High-speed car chases could soon be a thing of the past for Ontario’s provincial police.
The force says it has launched a pilot project that will test the use of laser-aimed darts armed with GPS technology to help track fleeing cars.
OPP Const. Kerry Schmidt says three of their marked front-line patrol vehicles have been equipped with a global positioning projectile-launching system.
When a motorist fails to stop or accelerates away after being stopped, Schmidt says a projectile can be fired at the vehicle where it sticks — by adhesive and a magnet — and emits a GPS signal that can be tracked by one of the force’s communications centres.