VIDEO: Colorado State Patrol uses new Grappler tool to tackle auto theft

Sarah Ferguson
·2 min read

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A new tethering device is being used to stop suspected criminals in stolen vehicles, according to the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), which just released dashcam footage from Colorado Springs showing the ‘Grappler Police Bumper’ tool being used in various locations across town.

According to CSP, the Grappler tool is used to stop suspects, particularly those being chased by law enforcement, to bring their vehicles to a controlled stop. The tethering device also increases the safety of the public, law enforcement, and the suspect.

According to troopers, since 2023, there has been a “downward trend in auto theft in Colorado that has continued into the early months of 2024,” and CSP continues to work closely with its partners; Beat Auto Theft Through Law Enforcement Task Force (BATTLE) and the CATPA Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force (C-MATT).

CSP dashcam footage of Grappler tool in use

Video #1 (Jeep) Colorado Springs:

  • Date: March 28, 2022

  • Unit: BATTLE South Investigators located a stolen 2001 Jeep Wrangler out of Colorado Springs

  • Location: South Union Boulevard at Hancock Expressway

  • Arrest: Suspect taken into custody without incident; charged with Motor Vehicle Theft as a Previous Offender

  • Sentence: Three years in the Department of Corrections

Video #2 (black Hyundai) Colorado Springs:

  • Date: July 29, 2022

  • Unit: Colorado Springs Police Department officers located a stolen 2016 Hyundai Accent

  • Location: Lake Avenue at Venetucci Boulevard

  • Arrest: Suspect taken into custody without incident; charged with Motor Vehicle Theft

  • Sentence: The charge was later dismissed by the district attorney

Video #3 (white Mitsubishi) Colorado Springs:

  • Date: Aug. 2, 2021

  • Unit:  BATTLE South Investigators located a 2011 Mitsubishi Galant stolen out of Pueblo, that was involved in an eluding incident during an attempted traffic stop the night before

  • Location: Academy Boulevard at Platte Avenue

  • Arrest: Suspect taken into custody without incident; charged with Motor Vehicle Theft

  • Sentence: 15 months in the Department of Corrections

So far CSP has documented 75 successful uses of the Grappler tool since August of 2021.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.