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Committee hears StarChase pursuit-mitigation tracker briefing; city next to pilot a 2-year, $250,000 grant-funded deployment
Summary
Seattle Police Department presented a material update request to use StarChase pursuit-mitigation trackers as part of its GPS tracking surveillance approval. SPD said a State Department of Commerce grant will fund a two-year pilot equipping 25 patrol vehicles; public commenters urged a standalone surveillance impact report and more public review.
The Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee on May 13, 2025 received a briefing from Captain James "Jim" Britt of the Seattle Police Department on a proposal to deploy StarChase pursuit-mitigation trackers under a material update to the department—s existing GPS-tracking surveillance impact report (SIR).
"Our goal is to pursue technology that makes it so we don't have to pursue," Captain James Britt told the committee, summarizing SPD—s stated aim to reduce dangerous vehicle pursuits while preserving investigative leads. Britt said the department has received a $250,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to equip 25 patrol vehicles with launcher devices and a two-year subscription to StarChase tracking software.
How it works: Officer-operated launchers project a small tag onto a target vehicle; the device reports latitude/longitude and device status to investigators, enabling tracking without a high-speed pursuit. Britt told the committee the StarChase tags SPD proposes to use have about an…
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