LACEY, Wash. — The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is using its new grappler tool to help the Nisqually Tribal Police.
The department says officers tried to stop someone, believed to be under the influence, but the driver was too fast and sped off.
A deputy with a grappler-equipped car was in the Lacey area and preemptively deployed the net.
About three minutes later, the vehicle came by, hitting the net and stopping immediately.
The grappler is a net tethered to the car that can be deployed quickly.
The sheriff’s office says it’s allowed to preemptively use the tool on cars that have recently fled or committed a felony crime without activating emergency lights or giving notice.
“This allows deputies to stop criminals before they can drive recklessly again, subsequently protecting the motoring public from the risk they pose to others,” the department says.
The driver was taken into custody with the help of a K9 and turned over to Nisqually Tribal Police.
In December, the Department of Justice awarded the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office nearly $20,000 in federal funding for two grappler police bumper systems.
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