I know that someone is working on that idea or has or was. I remember seeing it on a TV show on the Discovery channel like 5 -10 years ago. It was a small rocket propelled car that was fired from under the cop car. Once under the speeding car a wire that protruded from the rocket car would come in contact with the underbody of the speeding car and disable its electrical system with a high current charge.

Ha! I like the harpoon idea. Imagine a poor adjustment on the device and the harpoon goes right through the back seat and spears the driver. That would be something to see on Cops! I can just imagine the lawsuits on this one. Or how about the harpoon shoots into the trunk but rips off the back of the car and the perp keeps going? No, I don't think harpoons are the answer.

As to disabling the electronics, this could lead to all sorts of problems, like causing extensive damage when the driver lost control, including steering of the now dead car.

If the government wanted, they could mandate an addition for all cars to the electronic fuel control. Then cops could push a button in their car and turn off the fuel on the car being chased. But of course, someone would figure out what the signal code was, sell it on the street and then kids would be running around shutting off people's fuel flows for kicks.

How about a helicopter flying above with a big electro-magnet? It would swoop down over the car, drop the elctro-magnet and turn on the juice. This would look cool on TV! And bonus, this could be used to quickly clear an accident.

Hmmm, this is a much more difficult project than it seems at first glance.

I like the helicopter magnet idea. I doubt that helicopter pilots would be very enthused about grabbing a car going 80 mph.

Although disablng the car without causing personal injury would be ideal, high voltages and harpoons sound to me likely to be the source of accidents with innocent bystanders. Perhaps a device that would contain a global locater which could be attached to the body of the car from a distance would be safer. That way it would be next to impossible for the miscreant to escape and a police force could organize road blocks in a safer network to surround and capture the fleeing car.

I like sand's limpet locater method. A strong magnet and transmitter would probably work pretty well.

Heck, you could probably put a small version of the device in a handheld crossbow, a low-power gun cartridge, or even a paintball gun.

This idea has already been done. Back in the 90's it was put into use. It is deployed by being launched from under a police vehicle towards the vehicle to be disabled. A whip antena looking wire on top delivers a high voltage shock to the vehicles electrical system.

I've seen it work...its really cool.

Newer cars have a radio controlled kill switch where police can throw a switch in their squad car and all cars equipped with a kill switch within a certain area go dead. I don't know which ones have it. If all cars had it, there wouldn't be any high speed chases or beligerant drunk drivers failing to stop.

GOOGLE, DO YOU USE IT!?

This item has been out for forever. Please do *at least* minimal research before posting. Unless you're trying to look like an idiot, in which case, good job.

Have you ever heard of the EMP gun. It can disable electronics from a ways away. It sends an electric current through a coil via a capicator bank and creates an electeromagnetic feild, when the field collapses it creates an electromagnetic pulse that fries electronics like bacon. Nuclear bombs also do this when detonated

Instead of a harpoon, why not a magnetic GPS tracker? Since it's got to be fired at high velocity to work, it's still a potential hazard to perps and witnesses.

hithis is an idea i have been thinking aobut for a long time, everytime i tell engineers aobut it, they balk it, which make me more enthusiastic to try and do it, or at least be instrumental in making it ahppen.i believe tha taser idea is the best. as anybody who has ever owned an old motorbike, knows that if the earth wire comes loose the bike stops.so if the tasr could be the right voltage to burn out the earth connection (likea spike), thenthe vehicle would stop.the harpoon idea is ok, but it could be dangerous, and damage the cop car in the process.i saw that taser have a sort of shotgun cartridge that can be fired at a suspect, so this may be used ot stop a car.