The St. Petersburg police department appear to have taken a page right out of James Bond’s playbook, in an effort to be more effective in tracking criminals in a high speed pursuit.
During a high speed chase, a sticky, GPS tracking cannonball can be fired from a mounted cannon on the hood of a police cruiser to the car of the suspect in pursuit. Upon successful attachment, the officer can then stop pursuit.
The StarChase system was unveiled on Friday by St. Petersburg’s police, as as part of a pilot program for the new system, only a handful of patrol cars will be equipped with the GPS cannons. After the system has been tested for 6 months, it will be decided whether or not more units will be installed in additional vehicles.
The department will only have to pay for each cannonball, which runs about $250 apiece, according to St. Petersburg police spokesman Mike Puetz.