13 Morris Co. Police Departments Receive Spike Strips To Stop Fleeing Drivers

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — More than a dozen Morris County police departments are receiving spike strip devices to help combat auto thefts and bring police chases to a safer end, officials said.

The county has purchased 90 Stinger Spike System Model 90200 Trooper Tire Deflation Devices at a cost of $52,007, announced the county Prosecutor's Office and Sheriff's Office last week.

These spike strips can be stored in a patrol car, and officers can place them on a road to slow down a fleeing suspect, or a vehicle that is believed stolen. The hollow, steel spikes are designed to deflate tires without causing a blowout, and thus reduce the driver's speed.

Prosecutor Robert Carroll and Sheriff James Gannon said that the spike strips will be deployed not only to stop car thieves, but any "criminals in motion."

"Fleeing criminals pose a danger to our neighborhoods, and resulting crashes in Morris County have left vehicle occupants with serious injuries and damage to property," Carroll said. "These devices can bring down a target’s rate of speed and allow officers to conduct a controlled stop.”

The county said that forfeiture funds from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office paid for the devices, which are produced by the company Federal Signal.

Thirteen municipal police departments opted to receive the devices: Boonton Township, Chatham Borough, Denville, East Hanover, Florham Park, Long Hill, Montville, Mountain Lakes, Netcong, Randolph, Rockaway Township, Roxbury, and Washington Township.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office and Sheriff's Office will also have access to the spike strips.

“It’s important to recognize that these are crimes that are occurring statewide – whether it’s auto theft, robberies, kidnappings, child abductions, or other major crimes," said Sheriff Gannon. "Our goal is to give to our officers, who are on the road 24-hours-a-day, another tool in their toolboxes to safeguard our community."

Federal Signal trained officers from each of these agencies on Thursday, May 9 at the County College of Morris. Using a moving vehicle, officers from the MCPO and MCSO demonstrated how these devices can slow a speeding driver and intervene before people get hurt.

"This technology has the potential to bring a police pursuit - which poses a risk to fleeing criminals, officers, and bystanders alike – to a safer end," officials said. "Deployment of these devices will be in keeping within Attorney General’s Office guidelines."

Watch a video of officials' announcement below.