BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — There’s something to be said about the element of surprise!
The Grappler is not only meant to startle a suspect but also to stop them.
“The last thing that we want to do during a high-speed chase is have somebody injured or killed including the suspect that we are chasing, and so this gives us a viable option of stopping that pursuit before something bad happens,” said Broken Arrow Police Sergeant, Zack Schatz.
The department recently purchased 5 Grapplers to be outfitted on the department’s Tahoe’s and F-150 trucks.
“This has to mount to a frame of a car because it’s stopping a lot of weight and the police car had to be able to hold up to that,” said Schatz.
Here’s how the process works.
“What happens is these arms come down and stretches a net in between those arms and the net is then driven up under the tire of a fleeing vehicle. The net, by the friction of the tire, pulls the net up into the tire, wraps it up, wraps up the suspension, grabs anything it can, grapples anything it can, and causes that tire to completely lock down. The officer is attached via a tether to that car and as the officer brakes, the suspect vehicle is forced to slow down and come to a stop,” said Sergeant Schatz.
Once the net is deployed, the department has several replacement nets that they can re-attach on the Grappler and the whole process only takes about 30 minutes.
2 News asked what happens if a suspect decides to jump out of the car and start shooting at the officer.
“If that suspect decided to jump out of the car and start shooting at us, we will react appropriately,” said Schatz.
The Broken Arrow Police Department has a multi-page policy that dictates under what circumstances they can chase a car. Factors like the time of day, the weather conditions, and the crime the officer feels that person has committed come into play.
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