November Hit of the Month 2022: Mahwah Township Police Department [NJ]

Hit of the Month: November

The winners and Nominees for Stop Stick’s Hit of the Month for October 2022.
“Hit of the Month” is Stop Stick, Ltd.’s program to recognize truly outstanding performance results coming from the successful deployment of Stop Stick® Tire Deflation Device in ending pursuits. Every month hundreds of reports are received from across the country documenting successful deployments of Stop Sticks®. These reports detail stories of exceptional police work and proper deployment of the Stop Stick® Tire Deflation Device to bring pursuits to an end safely. Below are the departments that were nominated from the hundreds of submissions, and the ones who have been selected as the “Hit of the Month”.

Winner:

East

Mahwah Township Police Department
Mahwah, New Jersey

• # of tires deflated: 2 (L_Front, L_Rear)
• Pursuit Speed: 41-50 MPH
• Time of Pursuit:  3 Minutes
• Miles Traveled after deployment: 2
• Target Vehicle Make: 2022 BMW X7
• Deploying Officer(s): PO Michael Dombroski

PO Michael Dombroski’s Stop Stick deployment earned November’s Hit of the month resulting in the direct capture of individuals who had been involved in a string of vehicle thefts and break-ins.

Mahwah Police received a report of a suspicious vehicle inside a housing development, this neighborhood had been plagued with a string of motor vehicle burglaries, and thefts which has resulted in numerous motor vehicle pursuits. The Mahwah Police Department just recently began implementing the use of Stop Sticks and two sets were deployed to the area. A Mahwah officer located the suspect vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle sped away from the officer, after a check of the registration it showed the suspect vehicle was stolen from New York City earlier in the week. The officer radioed ahead the direction the vehicle was headed. Officer Dombroski already in place deployed his Stop Sticks at the predetermined location along the suspect’s only escape route and then retreated to cover behind a brick wall. As the suspects approached the housing developments exit Officer Dombroski was able to pull Stop Sticks in front of the vehicle hitting both driver-side tires. The suspect vehicle initially accelerated and continued to flee. As the suspect attempted to enter the highway their speeds began to dramatically drop. Approximately 1 mile later the vehicle pulled to the left side of the road against a barrier and the occupants bailed out on foot. Pursuing offers were able to locate all of the suspects and take them into custody without any further incident. Upon further investigation, officers found that the suspects had just recently committed a burglary and were able to return all items and proceeds to the rightful owner.

We chose Mahwah Township Police Department as November’s Hit of the Month winner. Officer Dombroski’s deployment led to the immediate capture of suspects involved in a string of thefts and burglaries, more so this was Mahwah’s first deployment of Stop Sticks, which resulted in them equipping their entire force.

Nominees

WEST

Bakersfield Police Department
Bakersfield, California

• # of tires deflated: 3
• Pursuit Speed: 51-60 MPH
• Time of Pursuit: 5 Minutes
• Miles Traveled after deployment: < 1
• Target Vehicle Make: 2021 Toyota Corolla
• Deploying Officer: Anthony Berument

Officer Berument’s Stop Stick deployment is believed to be on a vehicle involved in a larger sideshow that shut down a major intersection in Bakersfield. The suspect was wanted for assault and theft, Officer Berument was able to successfully end the pursuit of the suspect with the use of Stop Stick®, which resulted in the deflation of 3 of the vehicle’s tires, which caused the suspect to give up less than a mile after encountering Stop Stick®.

South

Collier County Sheriff’s Office
Naples, Florida

• # of tires deflated: 1
• Pursuit Speed: 71-80 MPH
• Time of Pursuit: 38 Minutes
• Miles Traveled after deployment: 5
• Target Vehicle Make: Honda CRV
• Deploying Officer: Deputy Pursley

Deputy Pursley deployed Stop Sticks after a call for assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol with a felony stop in progress. Dispatch had notified Deputy Pursley that FHP had located a vehicle involved in a robbery, and needed Collier County Sheriff Deputies assistance, due to the suspects being potentially armed and dangerous. While in position Deputy Pursley was told to deploy Stop Sticks, regardless if an attempted stop had been made or not. As FHP caught up with the vehicle they attempted to pull the suspects over with no avail. FHP called out to terminate the pursuit out of concern for the public, however as they began to back off Deputy Pursley was able to identify the suspect’s car about a quarter mile from where he was with Stop Sticks deployed. As the suspect vehicle approached his location Deputy Pursley pulled his Stop Sticks in front of the vehicle puncturing the front driver-side tire. After communicating that he was able to make a successful deployment Deputy Pursley proceeded to where FHP had caught and terminated the pursuit to help set up a perimeter and search for the suspects who had fled on foot.

Midwest (Honorable Mention)

Red Oak Police Department
Red Oak, Iowa

• # of tires deflated: 4
• Pursuit Speed: 100-110 MPH
• Time of Pursuit: 2Minutes
• Miles Traveled after deployment: < 1
• Target Vehicle Make: 2019 Kia Rio
• Deploying Officer: Officer Ryan Johnson

Officer Johnson:” Perfect placement of Stop Sticks to flatten all 4 tires. The vehicle traveled less than a quarter mile before becoming disabled. All officers, citizens, and suspects were safe due to the use of Stop Stick.”

Four People, including three juveniles, were arrested after a high-speed pursuit, the Montgomery Co. Sheriff’s office reported that the pursuit began after the suspect vehicle fled after deputies attempted a traffic stop for speeding. As the vehicle approached the city of Red Oak Officer Johnson had positioned himself in front of the pursuit and deployed Stop Sticks. Just as the suspect vehicle entered city limits Officer Johnson was able to successfully place 12 ft sleeved Stop Sticks in front of the suspects resulting in all the suspect’s tires going flat. Less than a mile later pursuing deputies were able to stop the fleeing suspects and bring all occupants into custody. 3 of the juveniles were booked for Second-Degree theft, Possession of a stolen vehicle, and felony eluding, along with an outstanding warrant for theft out of Polk County. The second juvenile was booked for interfering with official acts and providing false information, they also had a warrant out of Polk County for assault and eluding. The third juvenile was booked for interfering with official acts, and it was noted that they were listed as a missing person.

To register for Stop Stick® Hit of the Month, please submit a Deployment Report using the Link: https://stopstick.com/deployment-report/

You can be considered for Video of the year by uploading Dashcam, or Bodycam footage after submitting your Deployment Report.

If you know an officer who should be nominated for Hit of the Month please submit a pursuit report: https://stopstick.com/home/pursuit-reporting