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Sunday Morning News

New Technology Could End High-Speed Chases

Aired May 28, 2000 - 9:24 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: You've seen those high-speed chases on television, perhaps you've even witnessed one in person. It can be frightening for the innocent. But some new technology on the horizon could soon put brakes on these fast-paced pursuits.

CNN's Greg LaMotte has more from L.A.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG LAMOTTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Los Angeles may be the cop chase capital of the world.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: He's just driving crazy...

LAMOTTE: There were 500 police pursuits last year in L.A. They certainly grabbed the attention of local television and the interest of viewers.

UNIDENTIFIED TELEVISION REPORTER: Oh, there he goes.

LAMOTTE: But for everyone involved in a chase, including the pursued, the pursuers, innocent motorists, pedestrians, and bystanders, they can become deadly. Most chases only last a minute or two, others last hours. Police in hot pursuit, high speeds, reckless evasive driving.

Question, aren't the tools available to police good enough to stop dangerous pursuits?

CMDR. DAVID KALISH, LOS ANGELES POLICE: No, they're not adequate. When we look at pursuits, there are limited options. One is simply to pursue the person till they stop. Under certain circumstances, you could ram the vehicle with your vehicle, but obviously that's quite dangerous. Devices are used to deflate the tires are dangerous because the person may lose control of the vehicle.

LAMOTTE: But check this out. This demonstration pursuit is intended to show the ability of a new weapon against fleeing vehicles. It's called HALT, high-speed avoidance using laser technology. With a sensor installed in a vehicle's tail light...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The officer sights down through here, pulls the trigger. That car then is disabled by the acceleration being taken away from the control of the driver. He still has his brakes, he still has his steering, he still has the locks on his car.

LAMOTTE: The laser device can be held by hand, installed in police vehicles or in helicopters. Once the laser has zeroed in on its target, the chase is over. Fuel to the engine is disengaged, police can move in for an arrest. The vehicle is disabled for a total of 20 minutes.

HALT's manufacturer says car makers can install the necessary hardware for about $20 per vehicle. Cars already on the road would cost about $100. The laser guns are encoded so they only recognize the fingerprints of the user. The device also keeps a record of every time it's used.

There is proposed legislation in the California legislature that would require car makers to pay for and install the system by 2005.

The American Civil Liberties Union says it plans to monitor possible use of the device for any signs of misuse or abuse.

Greg LaMotte, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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