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The New York Police Department (NYPD) has revealed three advanced pieces of technology to assist them with maintaining law and order. The one that caught our eye is a handheld GPS launcher that can track criminals in getaway vehicles.

The device comes in two forms: either a handheld one based on an AR-15 rifle or as an attachment that can be placed on the front of a police vehicle like the popular Police Interceptor Utility, which is based on the Ford Explorer. In both cases, the device can launch a small, can-sized projectile that can stick onto the back of a getaway car, allowing officers to track the vehicle via GPS.

This can eliminate the many dangers of high-speed pursuits, which often lead to accidents, injuries, and serious property damage.

Also known as the Guardian HX and designed by a company called StarChase, the handheld GPS launcher comes with features like a foregrip laser sight pressure switch, a removable and rechargeable battery that takes the place of a standard magazine, and an extendable shoulder stock. The projectile travels at 37 mph and has a range of around 35 feet, or 60 feet, if shot at an angle.

A video of the three new devices - including the K5 autonomous security robot and a digi dog robot - was shared by the department on Twitter, and Mayor Eric Adams was also present to express his confidence in the new technologies.

"I'm a computer geek, and I believe that technology is here," said Adams. "We cannot be afraid of it, and as the [commissioner] has stated, transparency is the key."

John Chell, Chief of Patrol, highlighted the need to track ghost cars, cars with paper plates, and stolen cars, as these vehicles are sometimes used to commit further crimes. "It allows our officers to stay safe, limit pursuits, and let the GPS do its job," said Chell of the device.

We're all for using technology to fight crime in a fashion that keeps the public safer, but not everyone is on board with the new gadgets.

"Mayor Adams continues to pour money into the NYPD's bloated budget, enabling police to impose new, dystopian surveillance technologies throughout the city without meaningfully engaging New Yorkers in a conversation about whether this is how we want to live," said The Legal Aid Society in a statement.

But Adams is determined to forge ahead with new technologies, saying that "this is the beginning of a series of rollouts we are going to do to show how public safety has transformed itself," according to NBC.

According to StarChase's website, over 10,000 tags have already been deployed using the handheld GPS launcher, and that works out to over $150 million in recovered assets. We'd love to see the NYPD report back on specific successful implementations of the tech, which would also do well to convince the doubters that it's money well spent.