The Eagan Police Department is the first department in Minnesota to utilize the Grappler Police Bumper, a gadget intended to safely end high-speed vehicle pursuits by law enforcement.
“We’re always looking for new, innovative ways to keep the public safe,” Eagan police Sgt. Brian Boekhoff said. “This was something that we decided to try out.”
The Grappler is one of various devices used by police to stop pursuits in Minnesota. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Woodbury Police Department and Maplewood Police Department use sticky GPS trackers to locate fleeing vehicles without pursuing them at high speeds. Bloomington police use MobileSpike, a device that allows officers to deploy a stop stick from inside their vehicle with a push of a button.
Boekhoff said the department’s main goal in trying out the Grappler is to cut down on vehicle pursuits. Eagan police initiated 18 pursuits last year, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
“In the last five or so years, our pursuits have gone way up,” Boekhoff said. “Pursuits are super-duper dangerous, and not only to the suspects but the officers, the general public.”
Since 2021, there were 12,606 agency-involved pursuits in Minnesota. At least 24 people died during these pursuits, according to BCA data, including several in uninvolved vehicles.
How it works
Three switches comprise the control panel for the Grappler Police Bumper. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
The Grappler has a nylon net loaded into a compartment in the bumper. Police officers deploy the webbing by flipping a switch on an inside console. The net wraps around the fleeing car’s tire and suspension, preventing the vehicle from moving forward. Boekhoff said the police car must be within about 10 feet of the fleeing vehicle in order to deploy the Grappler.
The Eagan Police Department has Grappler units attached to two of its Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs. Each unit installation costs $5,000, and the net, which cannot be reused, costs $400 to replace after each use.
Grappler founder Leonard Stock said police in 37 states currently use the Grappler. He said Eagan is the first department in Minnesota to use it.
“In the Minneapolis area, I believe it’s going to start taking off,” Stock said. “In the Denver area, we had an agency that started, and now we have about eight or nine agencies using it. Same with Kansas City.”
Safety concerns
Eagan’s policy says the Grappler should be used with extreme caution in pursuits over 75 mph, according to Boekhoff. He said using the Grappler to stop a pursuit will not be documented in a use-of-force report, but it will be documented in an incident report and the BCA pursuit-reporting form.
Rich Neumeister, a citizen who follows privacy issues at the state Capitol, has raised concerns about the cost-effectiveness and safety of the Grappler. He compared police using the Grappler to a cowboy lassoing a runaway cow.
A Grappler Police Bumper mounted on an Eagan Police Department SUV. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
“It’s definitely a use of force under the state statute,” he said. “There’s so much potential for physical harm. The impact on vehicle control, or it can swerve, or flip.”
In a 2024 incident, both vehicles involved in a pursuit in North Dakota lost control and landed in a ditch after a deputy deployed the Grappler. The deputy’s car flipped over, and he incurred minor injuries.
Neumeister has also advocated for tighter restrictions on sticky GPS trackers in the past, such as requiring law enforcement to obtain a search warrant or remove the tracker within 12 hours of attaching it.
Success rates
Boekhoff said that if using these two Grapplers is successful, the Eagan Police Department will probably purchase more.
Although Eagan installed the Grapplers in May, Boekhoff said Wednesday that they hadn’t been used in the field yet.
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“The only reason it hasn’t been used is that the vehicles that are equipped with a Grappler have not been involved in a pursuit,” Boekhoff said. “Had they been in a pursuit, I can almost assure you that it would have been used.”
Stock said the most successful use is a “preemptive grapple” where the officer approaches the suspect’s vehicle unnoticed and deploys the net.
“When there’s a suspect that’s weaving back and forth and it’s a 80 or 90 mile-an-hour pursuit, they’re swerving all over, those are definitely more of the 50-50 success rate,” he said. “Just because it’s extremely difficult to get the net into position.”
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gabriel Moltrer said the agency’s Investigative Service Section began using the Grappler in 2021.
Last year, the section attempted 60 Grappler deployments; 34 of those attempts resulted in a successful “grapple” of the vehicle, about a 57% success rate.
Stock said there’s “no way to document” whether an injury or death in a pursuit was prevented with the Grappler.
“According to our police departments that use it frequently, they swear that it has saved lives,” he said. “It’s initial cost up front, but it’s keeping everyone safer.”
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