News

October Hit of the Month 2022: Clearwater Police Department [FL]

February 8, 2023

By: Zach Madden

Hit of the Month: October

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:

South

Clearwater Police Department
Clearwater, Florida

# of tires deflated: 3(R_Front, L_Front, L_Rear)
Pursuit Speed: 41-50 MPH
Time of Pursuit: 1 Minute
Miles Traveled after deployment: < 1
Target Vehicle Make: 2016 Ford Fusion
Deploying Officer(s): Ofc. Jared Karpiscak

Officer Karpiscak is our nominee for October’s Hit of the Month. Officer Karpiscak deployed Stop Sticks during a pursuit that initially started in Clearwater Beach. The suspect vehicle was identified by CWBPD as a stolen vehicle and was monitored by CWBPD officers.

Officer Karpiscak was notified of the suspect vehicle’s movements and was informed to deploy Stop Sticks on the Clearwater side of a bridge linking downtown Clearwater to Clearwater. As the suspect vehicle approached the bridge CWBPD attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle. The suspects ignored CWBPD’s commands and attempted to elude officers over the bridge. As the suspect vehicle drove away from CWBPD officers, Officer Karpiscak was at the ready with Stop Sticks already deployed. The Suspects with nowhere to go hit Officer Karpisack’s Stop Sticks and immediately slowed their speed as 3 of the vehicle’s 4 tires began to go flat. CWPD officers would quickly move in and surround the vehicle. The driver and 4 of the car’s occupants were all taken into custody without any further incident. All five of the people inside the vehicle would face charges from Grand Theft Auto, Fleeing/Eluding, Possession of Narcotics, Concealed Weapon Charges, and Obstruction.

Officer Karpiscak’s deployment made for the quick termination of a pursuit causing it to end quicker than it started. His use of communication and coordination with a neighboring police department resulted in the successful deployment and capture of potentially dangerous suspects.

Nominees

MIDWEST

Unadilla Township Police Department
Gregory, Michigan

# of tires deflated: 4
Pursuit Speed: 61-70 MPH
Time of Pursuit: 10 Minutes
Miles Traveled after deployment: < 1
Target Vehicle Make: 2006 Ford Fusion
Deploying Officer: Mark Reckling

Officer Mark Reckling of the Unadilla Township Police Department deployed Stop Sticks to terminate a chase involving an impaired driver driving on the wrong side of the road and failing to maintain their lane.

911 operators were notified of a vehicle driving the wrong way, and quickly notified Pinckney Police to respond. Pinckney PD located the vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. As the officer turned on the blue lights the suspect vehicle refused to pull over and continued, causing the responding officer to initiate a pursuit. As the pursuit entered Unadilla Township, UTPD Officer Mark Reckling was at the ready with Stop Sticks deployed across the roadway. The Suspect’s vehicle hit officer Reckling’s Stop Sticks causing all 4 of the vehicle’s tires to go flat, the suspect quickly slowed down but would briefly lose control of the vehicle striking a tree and causing minor damage to their vehicle. The suspect was quickly arrested without further incident, and is facing charges of DUI, possession of narcotics, and fleeing and eluding. Pinckney Police Chief Jeffery Garrison Stated, “ the collaboration between departments allowed police to safely stop the vehicle and prevent serious injuries to the driver, residents, and officers.

EAST

Hopkinton Police Department
Contoocook, New Hampshire

# of tires deflated: 3
Pursuit Speed: 31-40 MPH
Time of Pursuit: 8 Minutes
Miles Traveled after deployment: < 1
Target Vehicle Make: 2017 Chevrolet Silverado
Deploying Officer: B. )’Connor & C. Molnar

Sgt. O’Connor was field training Officer Molnar when the call came over the radio that a vehicle was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 89. New Hampshire State Police were able to track the suspect vehicle and provide mile-by-mile updates thanks to a city that had contacted them.

As state Troopers responded Sgt. O’Connor was able to deploy Stop Sticks across the interstate and hand the cord reel off to Officer Molnar who was able successfully to pull Stop Sticks in front of the wrong-way driver, flattening 3 of the vehicle’s tires. As the suspect’s tires deflated the vehicle began to slow, eventually coming to a stop a little less than a mile after the deployment, and was apprehended without further incident.

West

Lacey Police Department
Lacey, Washington

# of tires deflated: 2
Pursuit Speed: 0-10 MPH
Time of Pursuit: 36 Minutes
Miles Traveled after deployment: 2
Target Vehicle Make: 2019 Dodge Charger
Deploying Officer: Officer Aaron McBride

Officer McBride deployed Stop Stick on a vehicle involved in a large quantity retail theft. Officer McBride deployed Stop Sticks on the suspect vehicle as they attempted to leave the retail parking lot where they were reported to have just left with a felony dollar amount of goods. After hitting Officer McBride’s Stop Sticks the suspect vehicle attempted to flee hitting another vehicle in the process, as officers would quickly locate the suspect vehicle approximately 1 mile away abandoned. Officers would locate the suspect quickly and take them into custody without further incident. Upon inspection of the vehicle Officers found that the car had been stolen and inside the car was stolen merchandise, counterfeit money, and equipment to produce counterfeit currency.

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