A California congresswoman introduced a bill on Wednesday to help police respond to high-speed chases.<\/p>\n
The timing was ironic, with two separate police chases ending in crashes and suspect deaths across SoCal on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The Next Gen Road Safety Act<\/a> introduced by Congresswoman Laura Friedman would expand the COPS grant program so law enforcement agencies can access federal funds to purchase modern tools and technology to prevent and de-escalate high-speed pursuits.<\/p>\n Those tools include vehicle-disabling systems that can safely stop a fleeing car, police bumper systems to reduce the risk of collisions and drones to track pursuit drivers.<\/p>\n “Drones is definitley one of those technologies that we are looking to deploy,” Burbank Police Chief Rafael Quintero said at a press conference announcing the bill. “Especially when you don’t have air assets up there, and drones are able to be a little bit more nimble and flexible in getting in certain areas, that’s one. Two, I’m sure all the media present here has seen the grappler. We’ve all seen, maybe a TikTok video or an Instagram associated with its effectiveness. That is something that we are looking into and actually considering.”<\/p>\n The grappler is the tool that was used in Wednesday’s pursuit that ended in a major crash in Jurupa Valley<\/a>, though the Riverside Sheriff’s Department noted that its deployment was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n Congressman Friedman says more than 94% of police pursuits end without any safe termination technology deployed.<\/p>\n SEE ALSO: Suspect dies by suicide after chase with grappler ends in violent Jurupa Valley crash, deputies say<\/a><\/p>\n A suspect is dead after a chase came to a dramatic end in Jurupa Valley when deputies attempted to deploy a grappler device moments before a major crash.<\/p>\n The suspect in the Jurupa Valley chase lost control and crashed into a concrete wall after the grappler was unsuccessful. After a lengthy standoff with deputies, the sheriff’s department said he died by suicide.<\/p>\n Earlier Wednesday, a dangerous police chase ended with an exchange of gunfire,<\/a> leaving one suspect dead and another in the hospital in east Los Angeles.<\/p>\n