Riverside County deputies unveil pursuit-stopping tool called "The Grappler"

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is deploying a new tool called "The Grappler," a safer option to bring pursuits to an end without putting other drivers at risk. 

Corporal Brian Conroy, who is with RSO's K-9 Unit, carries a deputy dog in the back of his vehicle and a Grappler on the front. 

"Probably the most effective tool for law enforcement for this that I've seen," Conroy told CBS LA while showcasing the new tool. 

When the Grappler is deployed, its arms extend and lower to catch one of the suspect's wheels in its net. The tethered net then brings the suspect vehicle's tires to a stop. 

Conroy said that he's already deployed it 10 times despite only having it equipped to his vehicle for two months. 

"We do a lot of murder suspects, a lot of armed, violent felons who are fugitives from other states," Conroy said. "It's super effective at stopping pursuits, keeping the public safe and being able to disable the suspect vehicle with minimal risk to ourselves and to other people on the roads."

Lt. Jason Santistevan, who is in charge of RSO's Special Operations Bureau, says that they started the pilot program last year, but it's been so successful that they're already installing them on all of the department's K-9 cars. 

While the Grapplers have been effective in stopping chases, he says that the tool has been most beneficial when it comes to stopping violent offenders. 

"What we realized is, we need to come up with a better way of stopping pursuits as well as preventing pursuits," Santistevan said. "Before we even put lights and sirens on and we know that person in the vehicle is wanted, we'll deploy the Grappler, get the vehicle to stop without allowing that person to get away."

Santistevan said that the damage to both vehicles is minimal compared to a PIT maneuver, which is the typical way that law enforcement officers attempt to get wanted drivers to stop. 

Riverside County Sheriff's is the first California law enforcement agency to use the Grappler, and one of just 165 law enforcement agencies across 34 states.