How the Batman-esque ‘Grappler’ is ending police chases in Kane County
It has a name like a pro wrestler and works like something from a “Batman” movie, but the latest addition to the Kane County sheriff’s crime-fighting arsenal isn’t make believe, and it’s already out there catching bad guys.
The Grappler takes aim at what’s been described as a post-pandemic epidemic of drivers fleeing from police. The sheriff’s office is the first police agency in Illinois to put it into action.
“It’s exciting,” David Wolf, chief of operations for the sheriff’s office, told us this week. “We can stop a pursuit before it really starts.”
The Grappler operates like its name implies — by grabbing hold of a fleeing vehicle and stopping it in its tracks.
The device is mounted on the front bumper of a law enforcement vehicle — ideally one with some heft, such as a large SUV or pickup truck. During a pursuit, the police vehicle pulls up behind the fleeing car and the Grappler shoots out a heavy-duty nylon netting that wraps around and then immobilizes one of its rear tires.
The locked-up tire, combined with the weight of a police SUV or truck now attached to the fleeing vehicle, brings the chase to a halt.
Wolf notes that other methods — such as tire-deflating spikes or using a squad to turn a fleeing vehicle sideways — don’t always bring a chase to an end.
“People can still try to drive on a flat tire, or they get spun out but keep going,” he said. “With the Grappler, once it’s attached to another vehicle, it pretty much stops the pursuit.”
The sheriff’s office had its first opportunity to put the Grappler to the test last Friday, when deputies went out to arrest a sex assault suspect who they believed might try to escape, Wolf said.
Sure enough, when police attempted to stop the suspect in Elgin, he took off. But he barely managed to accelerate to 30 mph before the Grappler got hold of his vehicle, according to Wolf.
“We didn’t give him a chance to run,” he added. “Based on what I saw from the first time, I’m going to ask the sheriff to purchase more.”
“More” because, as of now, the sheriff’s office has just the one Grappler. Each one costs about $9,000, plus there’s an additional cost of “a couple hundred dollars” each time it’s deployed to replace or repair the netting, Wolf said.
For Wolf, it’s a price worth paying to prevent chases that often put innocent drivers in harm’s way.
“We want to be proactive and do what we can to minimize the risk to the public when these pursuits occur.”
A couple of notes
· You may be wondering how fast is too fast for the Grappler. Wolf said they’d rather not let would-be runners know an exact number, but acknowledges that there are speeds at which deploying the Grappler becomes riskier.
· Also, if you figured the latest in police tech is the brainchild of some engineering whiz, or at least an experienced cop, guess again. According to its manufacturer’s website and news reports, the Grappler was invented by a roofer from suburban Phoenix who came up with the idea while watching a TV show about police pursuits.
Kudos, Naperville PD
A young Naperville man with special needs who was robbed of his electric bicycle at a park last summer soon will be zipping around town again, thanks to the city’s law enforcement community.
The Naperville Police Foundation announced Wednesday that Naperville police had teamed with Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 42 to purchase a new e-bike for the young man.
According to police, the man was at Commissioners Park in Naperville about 8 p.m. July 6 when four minors carrying water bead/gel ball blasters — think of them as high-powered squirt guns — assaulted him and took his bike.
The theft was captured by surveillance cameras at the park, and an investigation is ongoing, police said.
But because the victim may never receive restitution, the FOP lodge and police department got together to buy a new bike and deliver it to him.
“What they did for this young man was incredibly thoughtful and generous,” Naperville police Chief Jason Arres said in the announcement. “We are beyond proud and grateful to have these supportive organizations by our side, as well as the strong community that supports them.”
Death before sentence
A man convicted of causing an elderly woman’s death by leaving her on a senior home bus overnight during a bitter cold spell has died before he could be sentenced.
Bert Mongreig, 66, of Westmont, died Jan. 20 from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a death certificate filed in court the next day.
He’d been convicted in December of criminal neglect, a felony, in the death of 96-year-old Regina Adamik.
Authorities said Adamik died from cold exposure overnight Feb. 2-3, 2021, at Cordia Senior Living in Westmont. They said Mongreig was the driver of a van which had taken her to a medical appointment the afternoon of Feb. 2.
Her body was found at 10:20 a.m. the next day, after overnight temperatures had dropped to 18 degrees.
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