'Grapplers' Being Deployed Across Riverside County Law Enforcement Agencies: VIDEO

CORONA, CA — High-speed police pursuits present significant dangers to law enforcement officers and the public, but a new bumper-mounted net system is helping Riverside County agencies bring chases to a safe end.

The device, known as the Grappler, deploys a heavy-duty nylon net onto the tire of a fleeing vehicle, entangling the wheel and locking the axle to bring the car to a controlled stop.

After the Riverside County Sheriff's Department became the first law enforcement agency in California to deploy the technology earlier this year, the Corona Police Department announced last week it has become the state's first municipal police department to adopt the system.

Marketed by Arizona-based Stock Enterprises LLC, the Grappler was created by inventor Leonard Stock, who was inspired to design a safer pursuit-intervention tool after watching televised police chases end in crashes involving innocent motorists. Every Grappler unit is designed, engineered, and manufactured in the Phoenix area.

According to reporting from The Press-Enterprise and regional news outlets, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department paid roughly $5,270 per unit, excluding installation and training expenses. The devices were initially rolled out across the department's K-9 patrol vehicles.

Corona police officials reported that the system has already proven effective in the field. Late last month, officers assisted an allied law enforcement agency pursuing a driver wanted for assault with a deadly weapon who was reportedly armed with a gun. When the chase entered Corona, officers deployed the Grappler, bringing the pursuit to a safe and immediate end.