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Pleasant Prairie police use 'Grappler' to stop vehicle pursuits
A new tool called the grappler is being used to stop suspects in a car chase with police. Pleasant Prairie police started using it last month. Along with Monona, it's the second department in the state to use the technology.
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. - A new tool called the grappler is being used to stop suspects in a car chase with police.
Pleasant Prairie police started using it last month. Along with Monona, it's the second department in the state to use the technology.
The Grappler
How it works:
"I would like to have it on every car that I have," said Pleasant Prairie Police Chief David Selvidge.
It’s a heavy nylon net, attached to a bar, lowered from the front of the squad, which then gets caught and wrapped in the rear wheel of the fleeing car.
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"We're de-escalating on the behalf of the motoring public, the innocent people that are out there, that are in the path of this dangerous person," said Selvidge.
The net itself is a one-time use and each replacement costs around $400. The whole mechanism, which can be used 100 times, costs between $8,000 to $10,000. It was created by the company Grappler Police Bumper in 2018.
"It's not a magic bullet," Selvidge said. "There's going to be times when it doesn't work, or there's going to be times when there are situations where it's inappropriate to use it. But when the time is right, when the situation is right, when we get the opportunity, to me, there's no greater success than stopping that dangerous fleeing vehicle from potentially hurting or killing someone."
The Grappler in use
What To Know:
Over the past month, Pleasant Prairie police had three successful deployments, but just as many unsuccessful ones.
Selvidge admitted he does not know how the grappler will fare in cold weather and non-ideal road conditions. Which is why, he said, other departments in Wisconsin are waiting to see its effectiveness before buying in.
"I've heard rumors of agencies that are already starting to look at it as a potential to add to their arsenal," said Selvidge. "If it prevents the loss of one life, it's priceless."
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According to the company, the grappler is used in over 165 agencies across 34 states in the U.S.
It declined to comment on which departments are looking to use the tech in the future.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Ben Hanson and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Pleasant Prairie Police Chief David Selvidge, Pleasant Prairie Police Department, Menona Police Department and Grappler Police Bumper.