Check Out These Safe New Ways Police Can Stop Criminals In Their Tracks

11 years, 9 months ago - 11 March 2013, Autoblog

We've all seen police chases where officers have to throw spike strips into the roadway, but an Arizona-based company called Pacific Scientific has created some new tools to stop bad guys without putting any officers in harm's way.

Both the Pit-BUL (Ballistic Undercarriage Lanyard) and the NightHawk are innovative devices designed to quickly, safely and easily disable a vehicle that is either attempting to run from police or enter a restricted area.

The coolest of the two is the Pit-BUL, which looks like a conventional speed bump but can deploy a net, as seen above, that almost immediately disables vehicles running over it. Designed more to protect an established position such as check point, border crossing or a military base entrance, this device works by using spikes attached to a large netting to lock up the front wheels. Each Pit-BUL costs up to $29,000, and since the nets are only useable for one application, additional net kits cost as much as $3,000.

As more of a mobile tool, the NightHawk is a deployable spike strip that can operate remotely to keep officers out of danger. When deployed, a beanbag-like projectile is fired from the container and carries with it the spike strip. After the intended vehicle has run over it, an internal motor can retract the strip so other vehicles don't accidently get flat tires.