Seattle lawmakers approve GPS tracking tech for police pursuits
(GeekWire File Photo)
The Seattle City Council voted 8-1 on Tuesday to authorize the Seattle Police Department's use of GPS tracking devices designed to reduce dangerous high-speed police chases.
The approval of CB 120994 comes amid questions about the technology's effectiveness and concerns about expanding surveillance capabilities.
The system, built by Virginia-based StarChase, uses compressed-air launchers mounted on police vehicles to fire battery-powered GPS tracking projectiles onto suspect vehicles during pursuits, theoretically enabling them to monitor the suspect's location remotely.
The technology is being funded through a $250,000 state grant that will cover installation on 25 SPD vehicles and a two-year software subscription.
Other police departments around Washington state and the U.S. have tested StarChase with varying levels of success. Last year the Oakland Police Department said it would stop using the technology.
Privacy advocates, meanwhile, say the technology expands police power and could 'enable warrantless surveillance,' according to a statement from ACLU of Washington, as reported by The Urbanist. ACLU also said it was concerned about sharing of data and people's privacy.
The bill describes the system's use as limited to vehicles where 'probable cause or reasonable suspicion of involvement in a crime has been established.'
The new law comes as Washington state has significantly loosened restrictions on police pursuits. Lawmakers last year passed Initiative 2113, which allows officers to chase suspects based on 'reasonable suspicion' of any crime, dramatically expanding from previous laws that limited pursuits to serious violent offenses.
'This could be an incredible move forward for our city in terms of public safety, because of the importance of the issue of pursuit,' councilmember Bob Kettle, who sponsored the legislation, said during Tuesday's meeting.
Police pursuits have become an increasingly urgent public safety concern nationwide. A San Francisco Chronicle investigation last year found that police chases kill nearly two people a day in the U.S., while 551 bystanders were killed in chases from 2017 to 2022.
'This is about bringing a comprehensive approach to what we're doing,' Kettle said, noting the system would integrate with SPD's new Real Time Crime Center.
SPD uses various other technology including automated license plate readers and CCTV cameras. A push from Mayor Bruce Harrell to implement controversial gunshot detection tech didn't move forward last year.
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