NAVASOTA, Texas (KRHD) — The Navasota Police Department is getting ready to get a hold of some new technology. In fact, they'll be the first in our area to use "The Grappler" to put an end to high-speed pursuits.
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"The Batmobile with a Spider-Man attachment. Uh, that sounds pretty cool," said Janice Scheve, a local business owner.
The Grappler is a device which wasn't in the budget this year — but they'll soon get it after someone in the community stepped up.
"Frank's Towing and Repair Shop, local shop, they see the aftermath of major crashes and they hear the pursuits and they say they wanted a safer way, something to assist us, so they were willing to purchase our first Grappler system," said Mike Mize, Navasota Police Chief.
The device features a net system that deploys to stop fleeing vehicles safely.
"Pretty solid net on the front that falls down. It just touches the tire. The tire with its momentum grabs the net and it wraps around it, causing it to lock up and start basically breaking the vehicle," Mize said.
This device allows officers to stop a vehicle without having to utilize a PIT maneuver, which stands for precision immobilization technique that law enforcement agencies use to stop a vehicle during a pursuit.
Mize tells me a lot of PIT maneuvers end up with a rollover crash.
This Grappler technology will be a safer option.
Even though it has yet to hit local streets, word of the Grappler's arrival has some neighbors looking forward to it.
"It'll be safer for our PDs, not only just for the PD officers, for the other travelers on the street. We've been able to slow a vehicle down and stop a vehicle down, uh, stop a vehicle without any accidents, any injuries," said Mark McGinty, a local business owner.
McGinty believes the technology will have additional benefits for public safety.
"I believe that'll be more safe and uh well actually slow down a lot of pursuits, you know," McGinty said.
Navasota PD is also awaiting approval for the STEP grant through TxDOT. It will pay overtime hours for traffic enforcement. The grant pays 80% of the cost, and the city has already budgeted for their 20%.
Neighbors say more law enforcement on the roadways is a good thing.
"They're gonna be able to patrol these zones and make the town safer. I don't know. I don't know why we wouldn't support that," Scheve said.
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