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High-tech road spikes may put the brakes on car chases

spikes
RELATED VIDEO
CNN's Susan Reed shows how the system works
Windows Media 28K 56K
October 23, 1998
Web posted at: 12:04 a.m. EDT (0004 GMT)

POMONA, California (CNN) -- Los Angeles County has become the nation's first county to arm its sheriff's deputies with portable remote-controlled tire spikes -- a high-tech gadget that can quickly, and efficiently, stop a fugitive on the run.

Police departments around the nation have for years used portable tire spikes to bring car chases to a halt. But the problem has been that the spikes stop every car that crosses them -- including police cars and the vehicles of innocent bystanders.

But the new remote-controlled tire spikes can target just one vehicle -- puncturing its tires in about two seconds -- before quickly reverting to a non-deployed position.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department plans to have 126 of the devices, called Roadspike, in the field by next year. Each Roadspike costs about $13,000.

Law enforcement officials in Florida and other states are also ordering the devices, and the U.S. Border Patrol is looking into semi-permanent versions of the devices, said John Waiter of PMG Manufacturing Group, the West Virginia company that manufactures the gadgets.

Safety is another reason law enforcement officials find the remote-controlled spikes an attractive alternative to the older versions.

A tire blowout can result in a deadly accident for a vehicle traveling at a high speed.

A rising number of fatalities and injuries resulting from high-speed chases have prompted some police departments to revise chase policies or stop the procedure entirely -- which just lets suspected criminals get away.

Correspondent Susan Reed contributed to this report.

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