Grapplers are mounted on the front of vehicles and used to stop fleeing vehicles.
2 min to read
BAPD Sergeant Zack Schatz in front of a vehicle outfitted with a grappler.
The Broken Arrow Police Department has become the first law enforcement agency in Oklahoma to install grapplers on patrol vehicles. Grapplers were installed on five patrol cars, with plans to outfit more in the future.
Changing the Game in Pursuit Situations with Grapplers
The grapplers, installed on BAPD's Chevy Tahoes and Ford F-150 Responders, are designed to end a chase before it turns dangerous, preventing potential crashes and saving lives. The device, which unfolds a net from the officer's vehicle, will allow BAPD to take proactive action by grappling a suspect vehicle even before a pursuit starts.
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The department noted that this is especially useful when dealing with suspects involved in burglaries or stolen vehicle cases.
BAPD police officers were trained and certified in how to use the grapplers. Alongside traditional methods like stop sticks, BAPD explained that grapplers provide an additional tool to safely end pursuits and protect the community.
"If you come to Broken Arrow and you commit a crime and you decide to run from us, we will chase you," said BAPD Sergeant Zack Schatz in a Facebook video. He added that "the time of the day, the traffic conditions, the weather conditions, the crime in which we're tracing them for this all comes into play, but now we have a viable tool to actually stop a pursuit before somebody gets hurt or killed."
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