NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Bellmead Police Department officials recovered another stolen vehicle this week thanks to cutting-edge crime-fighting technology, including license plate recognition (LPR) cameras and a network of GPS tracking darts.
Darts have been conducted successfully four times since mid-January, with the most recent incident occurring on Tuesday, May 21st.
According to Lt. Mac Mangrum of the Bellmead Police Department, an LPR camera spotted the stolen vehicle at the intersection of Linwood Boulevard and Abbott Martin Road.
Sergeant David Wright drove up behind the stolen car and fired a GPS tracking dart at the rear bumper before switching on his blue lights. Thanks to some glue and magnets, the dart hit its target.
A sergeant reportedly stopped the vehicle and ordered the two occupants out of the car, which then sped off at a high rate of speed.
But because the GPS was already installed and transmitting telemetry, Wright knew he didn't need to actively track the car.
“You try to locate the vehicle and activate the emergency devices, and the suspect may flee, and if you can shoot a tranquilizer dart at the vehicle there's no need to pursue it,” Mangrum explained, adding that even if the suspect fled again police would have been able to locate the vehicle.
The two young men allegedly jumped from the car and escaped by hopping over a fence, and officers were able to recover the car without any injuries and it has since been returned to its owner.
News 2 reports that the Bellmead Police Department has used GPS tracking darts multiple times this year. In mid-February, an LPR camera spotted a stolen sports car driven by a 16-year-old. Officers again fired a dart at the vehicle, causing it to back up.
According to the tracking device, the frightened boy initially accelerated to 81 mph, but slowed to a safer speed as officers no longer pursued him. The boy eventually drove to an apartment in West Nashville, where Metro Nashville Police Department deputies assisted Belle Meade Police Department officers in taking the boy into custody without incident.
“If he's not driving at a high rate of speed, he's not putting the public at risk as much as if we were behind him and he was running from us,” Mangrum told News 2 in February.
As News 2 previously reported, the GPS dart tracking system cost $73,500 but was made possible through grant funding.
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“This is an incredible piece of technology because it eliminates the risk of injury to innocent bystanders and the officers themselves,” Mangrum said.
Bellmead Police Chief Chuck Williams said eight vehicles are equipped with the Dart tracking technology.
Officials told News 2 that after the darts are fired, they are sent to a company that refurbishes them, and the company then ships them back to the police department to be reused.
