Sliding versus Throwing a Spike System
Sliding is a more effective way at deploying a system with the idea of not provoking a reaction from the driver of the Target vehicle. Spike-Devil is designed to slide across the surface of the road, which is quicker and covert. Spike Devil can be slid form a distance and place into position much quicker. Spike-Devil has the safety advantage of distance, and time advantage of elimination of what we call POST deployment adjustments.
Caddywhompus deployment versus A.L.E.C.
Manufactures point at each other claiming to be superior in deployment, but over look one critical problem. The company which claims triple sided performance, when deployed has to be deployed, then re-adjusted to stretch the system out in the path of the roadway and to target the vehicle. Lack of time prevents this, and if you do have time, often a system is jerked into place causing it to collapse on itself again. This second adjustment means the officer must deploy the Spikes, then operate the cord reel and then pull to open up the spikes. Accordion type spikes are designed to open up maximum width on initial deployment. The eliminate a critical problem, called POST Deployment Adjustments.
A.L.E.C. is a patented concept, where the Spike-Devil system is ratcheted in the links, and when fully opened locks into position and stays extended in the path of the vehicle. Accordion systems have this advantage of opening up like this but Spike-Devil by Spike-Strip mfg. has the Patent and exclusive on this feature.
U.P.S.D. is another patented concept, while Spike-Devil is designed to slide, if it slides it cant flip upside down. Despite this, my years of experience taught me that sometimes deflaters were flipped upside down and that the spikes would penetrate the plastic and sometimes go into the tire. Spike Devil adopted a longer collar along the spike and a thin bottom surface so the spike would travel straight, puncture the bottom surface and penetrate the tire. UPSD does not mean double sided, and like double sided systems its effectiveness is limited to the roadway surface and the strip is damaged.
“Fisher-Price” Cord-Reel
A good portion of the incidents with spikes were due to a cord reel that had failed, and was not used or failed during use and an officer or in one case officers entered the roadway to recover spikes and were fatally struck. We were asked by a department to make a cord reel that was indestructible and serviceable. We came out with the toughest one on the market and with the big mouth service port. When they saw it, they said it was like a Fisher-Price toy, you could not destroy it, and it was easy to use and service.