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Council approves StarChase units to reduce high-speed pursuits, chief cites 50 apprehensions
Summary
Council approved a three-year purchase of StarChase vehicle-mounted pursuit-reduction units not to exceed $86,007.85 using police federal forfeiture funds; the police representative said the system yielded over 70 deployments and 50 positive apprehensions in 2025.
The Taylor City Council approved a three-year renewable purchase for vehicle-mounted pursuit-reduction technology from StarChase, approving additional units from the sole-source vendor at a not-to-exceed cost of $86,007.85, funded through police federal forfeiture funds.
Council members who reviewed the system described direct observations of its utility. One councilmember said he spent time at the police station and witnessed the system's deployment. "The Star Chase system is amazing," the councilmember said, recounting that the technology helped recover stolen vehicles and led to arrests tied to suspected drug transport.
A police representative described operational results in 2025: "For calendar year 2025, we had over 70 deployments, with 50 different positive apprehensions either via recovering a vehicle or recovering people and able to charge them," the official said. He explained the system lets officers back off risky high-speed pursuits by deploying a dart or GPS tracking device, then locating the vehicle after it stops.
Council approved the purchase after a brief discussion and asked the police chief to provide additional operational detail when requested. The motion carried on a floor vote.
