The Columbia Police Department has recently received high-tech equipment intended to help solve crimes and safely handle vehicle pursuits in the community.

Columbia Police Chief Jason Donjon spoke about some of the new tools his department has acquired, voicing his thanks to the city for the support and noting this equipment is meant to send a wider message about crime in the community.

“If someone comes into Columbia to commit a crime, we just want to make it known that we’re gonna do everything we can to find you, arrest you, prosecute you,” Donjon said.

Perhaps the most notable addition to the department is StarChase, a system that can be installed on the front of police vehicles to provide an efficient alternative to high-speed pursuits.

StarChase essentially consists of a box placed in the front grill of a vehicle. A large projectile with a tracker coated in an adhesive can be loaded into this box and shot onto a vehicle an officer is pursuing, allowing them to monitor a suspect via GPS rather than continuing on in a potentially dangerous chase.

“It’s just like a GPS, very sticky dart,” Donjon said. “Once it’s shot on, it’s supposed to stick to the suspect’s vehicle, and then you can back off the pursuit if it’s getting too dangerous, back off and monitor the GPS.”

Donjon said he originally heard about this system while attending the FBI National Academy in 2020 while speaking with folks from law enforcement agencies across the country.

He similarly recalled an incident several years ago where a vehicle was stolen in Columbia. Several days after the theft, the CPD received a call from St. Ann police in Missouri noting how they had been able to track the vehicle using StarChase.

In Columbia, five police units have already been fitted with StarChase over the past few months, with five more to be installed in the past few weeks.

The first successful use of StarChase, Donjon said, occurred about three weeks ago as the CPD intercepted a suspect vehicle traveling north on Route 3 from Waterloo.

Donjon noted how a pursuit then would have been less than ideal in heavy evening traffic, but the officer involved was able to get behind the vehicle and deploy the StarChase GPS tracker, with the suspect ultimately being apprehended in Missouri.

The CPD is also looking at another tool intended to change its approach to high-speed pursuits, specifically providing an alternative to the precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver in which a police vehicle strikes a fleeing vehicle in order to make it turn and stop.

The Grappler is similarly mounted on the front of a police vehicle and can be deployed to extend a strap stretched between two arms.

The police vehicle then advances behind the pursued vehicle with the strap getting caught in one of the rear tires, causing the suspect vehicle to ultimately come to a stop.

Donjon said five of these devices have been budgeted for the CPD in the city budget.

Donjon also mentioned devices his department has received that allow for the extraction of data from cellphones in police custody.

He noted how beneficial it can be to be one of the few departments with such equipment rather than having to consult with the FBI when needing to access a cellphone.

Donjon further spoke about the numerous cameras that have been installed around the city.

“We have a lot of cameras throughout town, over 50 I want to say,” Donjon said. “We’ve identified the areas where we could use a few more cameras, and they’ve OK’d that in this budget. We have those, and those really help in our investigations. Someone comes and commits a crime… we can go and look at these cameras and kinda follow them. Where did they come from, what was the license plate, what time of day did they come?”

With new equipment comes new training, and Donjon explained that officers with vehicles recently equipped with StarChase have been practicing with the equipment along Bluff Road in an effort to receive their certification. Similar training will be taking place as the department receives its Grappler units.

Donjon also spoke on the subject of privacy and appropriate use of department equipment – the StarChase website specifically has a link on its header titled “Fourth Amendment” which shares excerpts from a news article and an ACLU report speaking about the equipment’s adherence to civil liberties.

Donjon said he recognizes the concerns some have expressed about the cameras added around the city, adding that inappropriate use of equipment would not be tolerated.

When it comes to equipment such as StarChase or the Grappler, Donjon also noted that deployments of these tools are recorded.

“Every one of our deployments is reviewed, watched, went over,” Donjon said. “If it was some kind of case where someone just tried to track somebody, no criminal activity, it would be addressed immediately, at least by our department.”

Donjon further expressed thanks to City of Columbia officials for their support in supplying the department with this sort of equipment.

He also reiterated his intentions of keeping Columbia – and the rest of Monroe County – safe from crime.

“With the interstate with St. Louis, for Monroe County, we’re kind of the gatekeeper if you will,” Donjon said. “We love it here. Our residents are great. Our community is great. Our mayor’s great. Our city aldermen are great. But if you come here to commit a crime or to steal stuff from people… we are going to do everything we can to make an inconvenience for you.”