Fleeing drivers get the point of new spike strips

WAPATO, Wash. -- In a county that prosecuted 103 cases of pursuit last year, any new device that might stop a fleeing car is likely to attract interest from police.

And so it was Tuesday on an empty race track outside Wapato, where members of about 20 Central Washington police agencies watched a newly marketed piece of technology touted as safer and more effective in stopping escaping cars.

Currently, many police must throw a spike strip across a road lane in front of a fleeing vehicle. Officers must leave their vehicle, throw the strip and then pull it back before other patrol cars run over the barbs.

Yakima Tribal police Sgt. James Alexander calls that a "nerve-wracking" process that once resulted in a hand injury to a tribal officer.

A new device produced by a Ridgefield, Wash., company doesn't require an officer to leave his patrol car. Instead, the device mounts on the front or rear bumper of a police car, where it uses a hydraulic cylinder to shoot a spike strip in front of the tires of a fleeing car.

Tribal officials were impressed enough to purchase six of the spike units, enough for about three-quarters of its regular patrol fleet, Alexander said.

That made the Yakama Nation the company's first customer, said Michael Moormeier, the co-inventor of the Mobile Spike and the vice president of sales and marketing for parent company Pursuit Management Inc.

Others took a wait-and-see approach.

"It could be another real valuable tool in the toolbox," Yakima County Sheriff's Sgt. Carl Hendrickson said. "We'll have to watch and see how it does in field trials and go from there."

Union Gap police Chief Robert Almeida said he still needs to consider whether the Mobile Spike would be safe in his city, given the close quarters of an urban setting.

"I like what I see so far," Almeida said.

Almeida said two businesses, including Cascade Licensing, have expressed interest in contributing toward Mobile Spikes for the city. Pursuit Management is also recruiting sponsors for other agencies, given that tight budget times may make the $5,000 purchase difficult for local governments.

Pursuit Management is working with fabricator Magic Metals of Yakima to produce the Mobile Spike.

So far this year, there's been a noticeable decline in the number of pursuits in the city and county of Yakima that authorities credit to stiffer penalties for car thieves and fleeing drivers.

As of last month, Yakima city police had engaged in 12 pursuits this year, a rate well below the high of 45 chases in 2007. Similar declines were reported by the Washington State Patrol and the Yakima County Sheriff's Office.

Still, pursuits can be deadly business. In October 2006 two Yakima teenagers were killed when their car was rammed by a car attempting to elude police.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.

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