Sheriff deputies are using GPS darts to track down speeding cars, DWI drivers

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office is equipping some deputies with dart-launching devices that fire GPS trackers, a move aimed at reducing the need for high-speed pursuits.

The launcher, mounted in the grille of a patrol vehicle, allows deputies to tag fleeing cars with an adhesive, cylinder-shaped dart containing a GPS tracker. Deputies can fire the GPS tracking dart from inside or outside their vehicle, officials said.

Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. likened the device to a Batmobile-style gadget during a demonstration at the Yaphank correctional facility on Thursday.

The GPS system, known as StarChase, functions "like a virtual helicopter, giving officers and our dispatchers a safer way to monitor, coordinate and ultimately apprehend a suspect when the vehicle comes to a stop," Toulon said.

Toulon said the technology could help prevent dangerous chases that can lead to injuries and property damage. He pointed to the case of Suffolk County Police Highway Patrol Officer Brendon Gallagher, who was nearly killed last year in a crash while pursuing a Brentwood driver at speeds approaching 100 mph on the Long Island Expressway.

"We have had countless subjects flee arrests, some causing serious damage to their vehicles, property and themselves," Toulon said.

Officials said deputies began using StarChase in the field on March 24. It was deployed on April 1 during the pursuit of an erratic driver in East Patchogue who refused to stop for a deputy. The driver was later arrested and charged with aggravated DWI, officials said. Toulon showed a video of the incident during the demonstration.

"I’m hoping StarChase gives [deputies] even more of a chance to focus on their safety and the safety of those sharing the roads during stressful situations like pursuits," said Caroline Flynn, Suffolk County’s STOP-DWI program coordinator.

The sheriff’s office is the first law enforcement agency in Suffolk County to adopt the technology, Toulon said. It is currently being piloted by a group of deputies in the department’s DWI enforcement team, with plans to expand its use — particularly among officers focused on impaired driving enforcement.

Tracker cost about $9,000

Equipping a vehicle with StarChase costs about $9,000, Toulon said. He declined to say how many vehicles have been outfitted, citing "tactical reasons."

Isai Fuentes, regional director for the nonprofit group Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said law enforcement needed additional tools to combat dangerous and aggressive driving, which was on the rise on Long Island.

"If this can help make sure that these DWI rates decline, it's an amazing tool that we can have to make sure our communities are safer," Fuentes said.

Aidan Pagano, a deputy sheriff whose vehicle is equipped with StarChase, said the technology would have been useful in a few pursuits over his 10-year career, including when an apprehended driver fled from Pagano and later crashed into a house.

"At night, these pursuits get very dangerous with the high speeds entering residential neighborhoods, entering those side streets — you've got all the people walking around, you have cars, you got houses," Pagano said. "It's nice to be able to have a device to get the cars maybe at a later point."

Old Westbury police started using StarChase in 2023, Newsday previously reported. Suffolk and Nassau police did not immediately respond on Thursday about whether those departments are considering the use of StarChase.