GM Will Equip New Vehicles With a Device Allowing Police to Remotely Stop Them

[Janq]

As reported by ABCNEws.com:


Device can remotely halt auto chases
GM Will Equip New Vehicles With a Device Allowing Police to Remotely Stop Them

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
October 9, 2007 1223 PM PDT

Police will be able to remotely halt some high-speed pursuits with technology being unveiled today that aims to cut chase-related deaths.

General Motors gm plans to equip 1.7 million of its 2009-model vehicles with the system that allows pursuing officers to request that engines of stolen cars be remotely slowed to idle speed through the OnStar mobile communications system.

The system, scheduled to be demonstrated today in Washington, D.C., is a big move toward reducing what GM says are as many as 30,000 pursuits around the country every year. Up to 400 people die in accidents involving chases, according to PursuitWatch.org, an activist group.

"Anytime you have the ability to shut down a dangerous pursuit, that's a win for everyone," says Geoffrey Alpert, criminology professor at the University of South Carolina.

Because of a built-in global-tracking device, OnStar already allows police to find stolen vehicles. Now, with permission of the owner, they'll have the ability to halt them. Police will be allowed to ask for OnStar intervention only if they have a stolen vehicle in sight. An OnStar operator will inform fleeing suspects that the engine is about to be slowed to idle speed, which can then occur in seconds. Brakes and power steering will still function, says OnStar President Chet Huber.

"This isn't a science project. We are broadly deploying this technology," he says.

OnStar will maintain its privacy policies. Among other things, the system isn't supposed to let police use the system on an OnStar owner's vehicle without the owner's permission.

OnStar is free for GM owners for the first year after they buy a new vehicle. Car owners then must pay for the service. OnStar says about 60% pay the fee to continue service.

Having enough vehicle owners participating could be a problem, says Sid Heal, a commander in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "Until we get enough market saturation, it won't even occur to us to anticipate it," Heal says.

Such a system has been talked about for years, but law enforcement experts want all manufacturers to participate.

For years, some departments have caught car thieves using "bait" cars rigged with transmitters that allow them to be tracked and shut down remotely if they're stolen, says Maj. Tim Fitch of the St. Louis County, Mo., Police Department.

PursuitWatch.org President John Phillips says GM's system shows potential so "we don't have to play Russian roulette with police officers and the public."

The story can be found at; http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Autos...3706113&page=1

- Janq

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[SIXTO]

They can do that now.

[havegunjoe]

I can't see this as being widespread and usable for about 100 years. I think LE already has some type of device that if they can get the bad guy to drive over it will do the same thing to some cars. I guess I don't have an opinion until I know more.

[BIG E]

I'll wrap mine in foil to "foil" the operation.

Be interesting to see if there are hacks to disable the remote kill.

What about the ole California Stop? Much more fun to watch on TV.

[Geezer]

I'll bet the naacp and aclu will be against this !

[dunndw]

oh H#*& no. OnStar isn't the police. What type of safeguards do they have in place to make sure that there are actually talking to LEOs?
Can you imagine what would happen with a mole in the OnStar center? One call from their crew on the outside and BAM..your car is stopped, doors unlocked and you're carjacked for your new Corvette.
If I was in personal protection the FIRST thing I'd do it disable the OnStar system.
If the LEOs have a way to short range disable a car that's another thing...keeps the power within the LEO community.
What type of screening doe OnStar have for their call centers? Are they outsourced? Imagine every OnStar equipped vehicle getting shut down in LA at the peak of rush hour.

[retsupt99]

Does this mean that if I chose to run from the police in my own, new 2009 car, the police couldn't have OnStar stop it without my permission?

Obviously, I wouldn't do this...

[JohnnyRebel]

That makes me nervous, not that I have any reason to run from police, but that strikes me as big brother-like invasion of personal freedom. Even if I would be foolishly excercising my right to run from cops, get busted and go right to jail.

[Cupcake]

It kills me. I designed a system to do this when I was in high school. Actually, the owner just dialed a pager number, then put in a code to start or idle the car or unlock it. For a premium they were going to have an option to pop the airbag on the scumbag driving their car:)

[SleepingZ]

Just one more reason to buy a jap car.

[aus71383]

That just means I'll never buy another GM product ever. Used or new I don't care. This stuff infuriates me.

Austin

[randytulsa2]

Sixto:

Man, explain...I didn't know that could already be done....even on my
'95 Tacoma?

Enlighten me, man.


If so, why are there ever any chases?

Or were you joking (and I didn't get it)

Or did I just misread what you said?

Talk to me, man!

[packinnova]

I'll tell ya what annoys me is that so many fail to see what's lookin' 'em in the face on this one:

OnStar will maintain its privacy policies. Among other things, the system isn't supposed to let police use the system on an OnStar owner's vehicle without the owner's permission.

Yeah, give em a few successful theft stops and they're going to be lobbying congress to make it mandatory WITHOUT the owners consent. It's called creep...they do it all the time with everything else. What's to prevent it with this?

[SIXTO]

Sixto:

Man, explain...I didn't know that could already be done....even on my
'95 Tacoma?

Enlighten me, man.


If so, why are there ever any chases?

Or were you joking (and I didn't get it)

Or did I just misread what you said?

Talk to me, man!

I just meant with OnStar vehicles. It takes some doing, and tons of time, but it can be done.

[aus71383]

I know it isn't specified in the Constitution, but they didn't have technology like this back then. Its not freedom if you are allowed to do something. If you have OnStar in your car and you drive it to work every day for 20 years and the Government never turns your engine off and unlocks your doors, you still don't win. Because they could have, so you were never free.

Austin