ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Law enforcement in the Rochester area often call off chases because they’re too dangerous to the community. Viewers have asked News10NBC about a device called a grappler bumper that aims to safely stop cars during a high-speed chase.

A grappler bumper helps officers essentially lasso a car that’s trying to get away. In a video of police stopping a suspect’s car using a grappler bumper, you can see the yellow net shoot out, wrap around a wheel, and stop the chase. A viewer, Christine, asks: “Why don’t we have these?”

News10NBC asked the Rochester Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Police about grappler bumpers. None of them currently use the device.

RPD says it’s always evaluating new technology, and grappler bumpers are not the right fit for the department or the community right now.

MCSO has looked into it, and decided against it, citing factors like training, timeliness, and budget. The company that makes the bumpers says one unit with training costs $8,000. Those yellow nets are for one-time use and cost $400 each.

According to the company, there are roughly 1,000 of these devices in use, in 70 police departments across the country, and there has only been one incident with minor injuries to an officer during a chase at over 100 miles per hour.

Unlike spike strips, which we do see in our region, grappler bumpers allow officers to stay inside their vehicle, surrounded by airbags. The company that makes them says they can also be used pre-emptively, on stolen cars, for example, to stop a chase from starting.

If you have a good question you’d like answered, send an email to GoodQuestion@whec.com.

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