The Eagan Police Department has become the first in Minnesota to deploy a new device to bring car chases to a rapid - and safe - conclusion.
It's called the "Grappler", a net that deploys from a squad car that snares the rear tire of a fleeting vehicle.
Sgt. Rich Evans says he believes the device could have prevented or at least shortened many previous pursuits.
"We have seven operators currently at the police department that have been trained by the Grappler company in Eagan," says Evans. "So they've all done repetitions and actually using the grappler in real life on vehicles, and a closed course."
He says while they haven't had to use the tool in the field yet, since the word has gotten out about about the Grappler, Eagan police recorded just nine chases this year. That's down from 23 last year.
Evans says the new technology offers safer method of stopping a vehicle and it can do it before a chase even begins.
"It's a really unique tool. It's something that we hadn't seen before and here in Minnesota we're hoping that'll be a tool that we can add to our options," Evans explains. 'And if it's effective maybe other agencies in Minnesota will take it up too."
Evans says their research on how well the device worked in Arizona is the reason why it's now a tool they can use here in Eagan.
The company, which manufactures the device in Phoenix, Arizona, says they've stopped 600 police pursuits from taking place across the U.S.
There is a significant risk to the public during police pursuits and come with some frightening statistics. The majority of police pursuits involve a stop for a traffic violation, and a large proportion of those killed in police pursuits are innocent bystanders or passengers in the fleeing vehicle.