FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CONDUCT TESTS OF STARCHASE TAGGING AND TRACKING PURSUIT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – July 6, 2006 – The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) today announced that it has signed an agreement with StarChase LLC to become the second beta test site for StarChase’s patented vehicle tagging and tracking pursuit management system. The FHP announcement follows a similar agreement signed in February with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to conduct trials of the new technology, which is designed to alleviate the need for high-speed chases of suspect vehicles.

The StarChase system consists of a vehicle-mounted launching device, which discharges a tagging projectile containing a miniature GPS receiver, battery and radio transmitter embedded in an epoxy compound. The tag adheres to the suspect vehicle and transmits its location coordinates to a central server. Police dispatchers can view the vehicle’s location and movements superimposed on a computer map display through a secure Internet connection.

Sean Sawyer, president of StarChase, said, “StarChase provides an affordable, accurate and adaptable solution that permits officers to convert a dangerous, high-speed pursuit scenario into a more deliberate and controlled interdiction strategy.”

“The Florida Highway Patrol is pleased to collaborate with StarChase in the testing of its tagging and tracking pursuit management system. This technology seeks to provide a solution to one of the most vexing problems faced by contemporary law enforcement,” said Colonel Christopher A. Knight, director of the patrol. “Too often, law enforcement officers are faced with the choice of whether to allow a suspect to escape or to give chase, which could potentially endanger the fleeing suspect, pursuing officer or innocent bystanders,” added Knight.

Trevor Fischbach, StarChase vice president, said, “The beta tests with LAPD and FHP will provide an excellent proving ground for the StarChase technology, and we look forward to getting productive feedback from two law enforcement agencies with different pursuit management policies and requirements.”

StarChase successfully completed proof-of-concept trials in July 2005. The beta tests with LAPD and FHP will take place during the third quarter of 2006, with full commercialization by the end of the year.
In recent months, StarChase has also announced agreements with key suppliers for engineering and integration support in commercializing key components of the system. Archetype, Inc., of Birmingham, Ala., is supplying the GPS/GSM tracking module and the IP-based backbone architecture, and Metal Storm, an Australia-based company, is responsible for developing and integrating the launcher and projectile.
About Star Chase

StarChase LLC is a company specializing in tagging and tracking pursuit management solutions for the law enforcement sector. The privately held company is based in Virginia Beach, Va., and has been in operation since 2001. The StarChase products are patent protected in several countries, including the United States.