HPD testing devices aimed at stopping chases

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The high-speed chase may be a thing of the past if new technology proves itself on the streets of Houston.

The Houston Police Department is testing two new devices aimed at stopping the pursuits quickly and safely.

The first device, called Star Chase, is mounted on HPD cruisers that shoots a GPS tracking device onto a suspect's car. The car is then tracked by HPD dispatch.

It allows HPD to follow the car from a safe distance and once the suspect stops, officers can then move in. The other technology is an update to spike strips. It's called Night Hawk. It uses an explosive charge to send the spike strips across the road rather than having an officer deploy them manually.

The advantage is HPD can fire the device across the road moments before the car runs over the strips and from a safe distance. Both will be tested on Houston streets very soon.

HPD Sgt. James Turner, "Sometimes a high speed police chase ends in tragedy, there have been officers killed, citizens killed as a result of a high-speed chases that had absolutely nothing to do with the chase."

Last year, an HPD officer was killed deploying spike strips and that's one of the reasons for this pilot program.

We're told the devices will be on the streets in the next few weeks.