Elmhurst Has Way To Avoid Police Chases

ELMHURST, IL – Police chases make for exciting TV. Then there's real life.

Police typically abandon pursuits that involve property crimes, rather than violence.

Now, police departments in Elmhurst and elsewhere have the technology to track a fleeing car without undergoing the dangers of a full-blown pursuit.

Officers can deploy a GPS tag onto a suspect's car, where it sticks. Then they can watch from their phones where the car is going.

Earlier this month, another police department used the technology when suspects sped away from an Elmhurst liquor store burglary.

About 5 a.m., an officer was "at the right place at the right time" when he saw a burglary taking place at Corner Cottage Liquors, 526 W. North Ave., Police Chief Michael McLean told the City Council on Monday.

Another officer positioned his squad car to block the suspects, but the driver rammed it and headed east on North Avenue to Interstate 290 to escape Elmhurst, McLean said.

"We did engage in a pursuit after that crash," the chief said. "A neighboring agency had the same technology that we do. They were able to get behind (the suspect's car) and tag it. We were able to back off the pursuit and were able to track the car."

The suspects were found near Adams and Austin boulevards in Oak Park.

Patch wrote a story about the burglary last week.