Thurston County Sheriff’s Office gets OK to buy more grappler nets to use in pursuits
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is buying more grapplers, a pursuit alternative technology used to stop fleeing vehicles. The purchase was approved Tuesday by the county commission.
The commission unanimously approved the single source purchase of two grappler units and 17 nets from Stock Enterprises LLC for $20,200.
This latest purchase will bring the Sheriff’s Office total count of approved grappler units to 29. Since starting to deploy grapplers last fall, Sanders and his office have posted several videos on Facebook showing the grappler system in use. Last Friday, Sanders shared an edited montage video of the grappler system being used with hard rock music and a DC Comics Batman symbol.
The grappler units are discretely fitted onto the front bumper of patrol vehicles. The system works by folding down from the bumper and netting the rear tire of a suspect vehicle. The net can remain tethered to the patrol vehicle, allowing the pursuing deputy to slow down and stop the other vehicle.
This system can be used instead of a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver, which Sanders has said may damage vehicles and cause spin outs.
The commission approved the purchase of an initial batch of six grappler units from Stock Enterprises for about $48,663 on April 30, 2024, The Olympian previously reported. At the time, Sanders said he would absorb the cost of the purchase with vacancy savings in his budget.
The Sheriff’s Office got the go ahead to spend about $39,476 for four more grappler units and associated equipment, including 15 nets, on June 18, 2024, according to county documents.
That mid-year purchase was covered by $39,550 that the Sheriff’s Office received from the Washington Counties Risk Pool, an insurance association of 24 Washington counties.
Then on Dec. 17, 2024, the commission approved the purchase of 17 more grapple units and associated equipment for $109,344, according to county documents. This purchase was made possible by a grant from the state Department of Commerce.
On Tuesday, Sheriff Derek Sanders said the county is paying for the newest equipment with a federal grant.
County documents indicate the Sheriff’s Office was awarded $19,809 from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program in January.
As in the past, the Sheriff’s Office is following a single source purchase process, meaning the grappler units are being sought without competitive bidding. Stock Enterprises LLC is the only producer of grappler units.
Sanders said about half of patrol vehicles will be outfitted with grapplers with the latest purchase. He added his staff have been trained to install the grappler so the county is now saving on installation costs.
Have the grapplers been useful?
At an April 8 meeting, Sanders told the commissioners that his office has had “five captures” with the grapplers. He stated the grapplers have resulted in vehicle damage in just one instance.
In February, Sanders posted on Facebook about how Undersheriff Ruben Mancillas used a grappler to stop a white Toyota car.
The driver was accused of making bomb threats and driving recklessly down Old Highway 99 in Tenino with a 4-year-old family member in their car. The vehicle was stopped with no injuries to bystanders or anyone involved, he said.
Sanders referenced that pursuit on April 8 and said the grappler caused a tiny dent in the Toyota car.
“They’re overengineered,” Sanders said. “They’re designed by a carpenter, so everything is like 12-gauge steel. We’ve had cars get rammed with them and whatnot and they still work just fine. Just got some scuffs on the paint.”
He said a patrol vehicle was once struck by a driver accused of driving under the influence and the collision damaged a grappler unit. However, the driver’s insurance covered the replacement cost.
Commissioner Emily Clouse asked Sanders about another pursuit where a vehicle crashed after a pursuing deputy used a grappler on it.
The pursuit in question occurred in November. Video posted on Facebook showed a pursuing deputy deploying a grappler net at high speed on Delphi Road Southwest. The net attached to the fleeing vehicle but the tether connecting it to the patrol vehicle snapped off. As a result, the driver veered off the road, crashed through a chain-link fence and struck a tree.
The driver exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot but turned when he was threatened with being bit by a police dog.
The driver was booked into the county jail on suspicion of attempting to elude, possessing a stolen car, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, driving while on a suspended license and resisting arrest, according to Sanders’ post.
In response to Clouse’s question, Sanders said the tether snapped because of the tension between the speeding car and slowing patrol car. He said the fleeing car was traveling at 92 miles per hour.
The end result appeared much more like what typically happens with a PIT maneuver, he said.
“He was healthy enough to get out and run,” Sanders said.
Sanders said deputies have to weigh the risk of using the grappler at high speed. In that case, Sanders said the driver was going the wrong way at high speed around blind corners, which could have resulted in a fatal head on collision.
The Sheriff’s Office is willing to use their grappler units when other law enforcement agencies call for help, Sanders said.
Commissioner Wayne Fournier then asked why the county doesn’t charge those agencies for the grappler nets.
Sanders said his office doesn’t charge other agencies “in the spirit of mutual aid.” He said other agencies typically help deputies with pursuits as well by putting down spike strips or tracking vehicles.
He said his office is creating a public pursuit dashboard that will detail the different types of techniques the deputies use in pursuits, including the grapplers.
