A question to get you thinking.

[Steel2686]

That's an EM pulse. Too hard to keep concentrated in a particular area. It would fry everything electronic within range, including the sending equipment.

Minor details...

How about if you were able to transport the signal directly to the car via a stun gun cable system? Would that be at all possible?

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I saw something on TV about a version of the spike strips that had electrical wires instead of spikes that would EM pulse the computer and shut it down.

[xxRillixx]

The difficult part would be linking the controller in the car with the police unit. Because if someone simply changed license plates with another car of the same color, they would be telling the wrong car to stop... and again back to the lawsuit. Would need to figure out something else, something to do with proximity of the cop cars following and the car in chase. Possibly even just GPS. Because if the car that got the plates swapped was WAY away from the car being followed, then they wouldnt lock down the wrong car. Trick would be figuring out what car WAS stolen ( or being chased). But, if it was as simple as GPS, everyone would have access to it.

[thenuge876]

hmm, that is a good point, i suppose there would have to be some kind of limit as to the range of whatever device would be used, what other items could be used to identify a car as unique from the others on the road?

[Dave M]

I saw a show once that had a police car equipped with basically an RC car attached under the front bumper. When the cop car was behind the chase vehicle, the RC car lowered to the ground and (I believe) used a small rocket to speed up under the suspect car and then released an EM pulse to fry the car. They showed it being used on a test track, but I suppose in the reality of a car chase it was too hard to use, or to easy to avoid. Spike strips are usually just as effective, but you need to know where the suspect will be.

And you have to remember, when you lose the engine and all of the electronics, you're going to lose power brakes and steering. In a high speed chase that could spell disaster, too. Something like an EM pulse, or anything that shut down the engine, would probably have to be used only at lower speeds away from turns or other traffic.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

And don't forget an EM pulse won't work on an old car with breaker ignition (points) and a carburator.

[Adatude]

Face it.......

This planet is truly one of the most complex and yet very humorous, mainly because everybody seems to look at solutions as something that takes some sort of scientific invention to be the most effective. Everybody has heard that the radio in the cops cars are faster than anything else period. ( Even someones F-body, with it's drivers imagination )

They conducted a little experiment here in Minnesota last year, and it involved 200 episodes, and a mere 10 cop cars. And the cost involved ranged from 500 dollars, to a thousand total for the 200 episodes. The cops ran the plates of various cars they happened to be following at various times in the two week period they ran the test, and when they found a car driven by someone who had come up on the screen as having a reason to be stopped, such as, warrants, expired tags, and numerous other infractions.

They radioed in to various cars in the area, and they set themselves up in various locations, and monitored the car. One cop car was unmarked and went to the residence of the car being followed. The lead cop car then turned on his lights to pull the car over and sure enough, the car sped off and attempted to elude the cop car attempting to pull him over. After a short five mile chase, as the driver started to endanger the public with his driving skills, or lack thereof, the pursuit car turned off his lights and shut off the pursuit.

The radio pursuit kicked in. The pursuit car hung back and watched where the car was going, and sure enough, the car started to head towards the residence of the owner. The driver dropped his speed during this time, and calmly, and almost in an orderly way, as if to just blend in with his surroundings, drove normally as if to think that he got one up on the cops and made his way to his house. With no other cars involved but the unmarked one sitting outside, in front of the drivers house, sure enough, there he was, fifteen minutes later, pulling into his driveway. He pulled into his garage, and as the door closed, the officers got out of their car, and as the guy walked out of his garage, the cops threw down on him and ordered him to the ground, where they put the cuffs on and led him to their car.

Now, it was mentioned afterwards, that not all arrests can and would be made as easily as that one, but it was concluded that out of the 200 cars that were involved in the test, every one of the drivers, except 3 were apprehended without a loss of life, without incident, and without chasing the car through traffic. And the 3 that weren't apprehended, they didn't get away. They just didn't go home. Instead, they went somewhere else for awhile, but were later apprehended at their house, when an unmarked cop car drove by the house and saw the car sitting in the driveway. They went to the door in plain clothes, and the driver opened the door, and the cuffs went on. .....

The conclusion, in all episodes, the results were all the same, arrests and charges in all included resisting arrest by evading officers, attempted endangerment to the public with a motor vehicle, plus, what they were initially being pulled over for in the first place, and they were also charged court costs, and a cost, in the form of a fee was tacked on for the cost to apprehend them. . . . . .

Now, the sensationalizsm of the cop chases seen on TV, are because of the police policies that are intact. They are allowed to do these chases, even when the public is always endangered and effected from the time the car starts to elude the cops. The perception in this country is that when the officers of the law attempt to pull you over, you are to stop and whatever the result for doing so, so be it. And for those who don't, we will chase you and make you stop at all costs, because it is basically, and sadly an authority thing. Good guy versus bad guy. And we all know that the good guy is suppose to win. That is the perception. Good wins over evil.

You can have a million dollar toy next to every cop in every cop car, sitting inches away from the cop himself, and you will still see fifty cop cars chasing a car down the highway while the driver is driving eratically, and you will always see a police spokesperson standing in front of a camera after the driver has crashed and killed one or two innocent bystanders, and without any emotion whatsoever, say into the camera that the officers did nothing out of the ordinary, and were completely justified in what they did.....

As a innocent victims family member was quoted as saying in court...."This so called, police precedure is seen and aligned, closely in many circles, as another way of proclaiming that ignorance is bliss". "When this society has so many other options that include using common sense, and a simple and sane solution that can be brought about where the public is not endangered in any way, the police, who are sworn to uphold the law, and to "Protect the public", are ultimately that ones that put the public in danger when they chase someone". .......

[sneitzel]

How about a mechanism to lock the TB into the idle position. You'd still keep all power items functioning but being unable to accelerate would eventually coast to a stop.

[thenuge876]

How about a mechanism to lock the TB into the idle position. You'd still keep all power items functioning but being unable to accelerate would eventually coast to a stop.

That was one of the things we were actually thinking of implementing into it to help with the stopping of the car safely, we needed it to do something like cut the fuel back or put the tb in idle position so that they could not just slam the gas and try to overcome the braking force.

And also that does sound like it would be a good idea, and that show sounds like it is a good solution to the issue without having to create new items etc. We just need to design a system of any kind though for my schools project and now we are trying to develop it, but I really appreciate all the input guys keep it coming!

[Dave M]

Relying on the radio is great for minor infractions that result in a chase or suspects that are not an immediate danger to the public, but there are circumstances where you need to stop the suspect immediately. They present a danger to the public and need to be stopped. That's where safely stopping the car would pay dividends and not result in injured civilians, property damage or smashed up cop cars.

[Joe 1320]

How about a mechanism to lock the TB into the idle position. You'd still keep all power items functioning but being unable to accelerate would eventually coast to a stop.

In a drive by wire system, all you have to do is interrupt the signal. Only older cars would need a conversion to drive by wire instead of a mechanical cable.

[Dave M]

Here's an interesting story (with video) of an unusual chase in NY.

http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/local_...032223500.html

[thenuge876]

Relying on the radio is great for minor infractions that result in a chase or suspects that are not an immediate danger to the public, but there are circumstances where you need to stop the suspect immediately. They present a danger to the public and need to be stopped. That's where safely stopping the car would pay dividends and not result in injured civilians, property damage or smashed up cop cars.

That was more or less our thought when we first came up with the idea, i'll keep you guys posted on how the idea comes along as it progresses, we have ameeting on monday to get approval so i hope it works out well. If I have any more questions I hope you guys won't mind my asking! Keep the discussion going too...

*EDIT*--- I just watched that video and that is pretty crazy !!! ALl things considered though the guy drove that limo in reverse pretty well...not that it was safe in any way but considering. And over a suspended liscence?! That's kind of thing that we are trying to stop here.

[Dave M]

I posted that video as an example of when a chase just should have been called off. He was originally trying to stop him over a traffic violation, and with the chances that guy was taking with other people's lives, they should have just called off the chase; tried to follow at a safe distance, maybe. Had he been a rape or murder suspect, then I'm all for taking the guy out, but he could have killed a number of people in that pusuit.