Deschutes County deputies get new tool — MobileSpike — to flatten fleeing drivers’ tires

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it recently outfitted 10 patrol vehicles with MobileSpike -- a device a deputy can use to pull up beside a fleeing driver and more quickly flatten their tires to slow and stop them.

"The Sheriff’s Office is aware that vehicular pursuits create a substantial risk of injury to the public, the deputy, and the suspect," the announcement said. "The use of MobileSpike is one more option DCSO now has to lower the risks associated with vehicle pursuits.

"MobileSpike allows our deputies to act immediately before vehicle speeds increase," the news release stated. "MobileSpike is deployed from a moving patrol vehicle with the push of a button, causing a controlled deflation of the suspect’s vehicle tires."

Law enforcement have for some time coordinated for deployment of spike strips to flatten tires and stop a fleeing driver, under certain conditions, but a change in direction or a driver's ability to avoid them has made it an imperfect tool.

The company website quotes Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Donovan Lucas: “I can be driving, pull up alongside the suspect vehicle, press a button, it shoots out, the vehicle runs over it and we stop the pursuit within a few minutes.”