Device Information

History of TROOPER TRAP:
TROOPER TRAP was invented by Alan Beaty, an Oklahoma state law enforcement officer  who arrested a prisoner in October 2000 for outstanding felony warrants and false impersonation.  The prisoner was handcuffed behind her back and seatbelted in the front passenger seat of the patrol unit.  While dealing with another subject and attempting to inventory the vehicle, the prisoner slipped out of the handcuffs, unbuckled the seatbelt, got into the driver's seat of the patrol car and sped away.  A short high speed chase ensued with speeds of over 100 mph, the prisoner crashed the patrol unit (which was 3 weeks old) and attempted to flee on foot.  After a short hunt, Beaty arrested the prisoner again.

After the ordeal, Beaty researched and noticed a large number of escapes situations similar to his in different states and around the world. Beaty knew affixing prisoners to fixed objects even if the object is a vehicle, was against most every department's policy. The seatbelt was the key.  A prisoner could not get out of the patrol car, steal it, or damage it without releasing the seatbelt. A working proto-type was designed and installed on the front and rear seats of a patrol unit with complete success. During the first week of installation, two separate escape attempts were foiled. TROOPER TRAP was born. 

 

Purpose  of TROOPER TRAP:
An officer's priority is to go home alive after each shift.  TROOPER TRAP allows this to happen.  Officers arrest subjects or transport prisoners every day with the feeling of security in a set of handcuffs or a transport cage, but prisoners continue to escape and officers continue to get injured and even killed.  TROOPER TRAP is designed to "watch" the subject while seated in the patrol unit with the seatbelt applied.  This is not a restraint device, but merely an officer safety device which alerts the officer when the subject unbuckles the seatbelt to give the officer a warning and a few extra seconds to handle and secure the prisoner.  TROOPER TRAP can be used by itself or with other devices like handcuffs or transport cages.

 

Benefits of TROOPER TRAP:
With TROOPER TRAP watching, the officer can deal with another subject, inventory or search a vehicle, or any number of other things without physically watching him or her.  The unique features of my invention allow the officer to monitor the prisoner without physically watching him or her.  The advantages of TROOPER TRAP are officer safety, being able to watch your prisoner without backup, and simple easy operation.

 

How TROOPER TRAP works.
When a subject is arrested, the officer handcuffs, searches, and seatbelts the prisoner in the patrol unit as normal.

TROOPER TRAP is armed by one of 2 modes: Manual or Automatic

Manual - Officer seats subject in patrol unit with seatbelt applied and then arms TROOPER TRAP, or

Automatic - Officer activates TROOPER TRAP so when a the seatbelt is applied, it becomes armed.

The officer can talk to another subject or search a vehicle without constantly monitoring the prisoner.  If the detainee unhooks the seatbelt, an alarm will sound to alert the officer that the prisoner has unhooked the seatbelt and is no longer secure. The prisoner could be escaping, attempting to steal the patrol vehicle, obtaining weapons in the patrol vehicle, or any number of things that could cause injury or death to officers or the public.

Not Handcuffs:
TROOPER TRAP can be used with non-handcuffed subjects during consent to search, vehicle crash scenes, hitch hikers, transport of stranded motorist, or a number of other situations.  A pat search should be done before any subject is placed in the patrol unit.  Have the subject sit in a seat in the patrol unit where TROOPER TRAP has been installed at.  Have the subject put the seatbelt on like normal; incase another vehicle runs off the road and into your patrol unit.  This is added protection for the department, the officer, and the subject.  Go about the search as normal.  If the subject wants to stop the search, or escape, or attack the officer; the external vehicle alarm will sound when the subject releases the seatbelt. 

Handcuffed or Arrests:  
If the subject is physically arrested, handcuff, search the subject, and place the subject in the patrol unit per department policy then secure with the seatbelt.  Make sure TROOPER TRAP is activated and go about your normal duties.  If the arrested subject releases the seatbelt, the external vehicle alarm will sound.  It is best to place subjects inside the patrol unit to deter thoughts of escaping, protect the subject from being struck by a vehicle while standing on the road side, and to know where the subject is.

Day and Night Protection:
TROOPER TRAP offers a back-up or partner in the easy to install control box.  During the day or at night, try to inventory the subjects vehicle or investigate an accident while watching your prisoner.  During the day, the sun shines down and a glare usually makes it difficult to monitor your prisoner.  At night, it is almost impossible to monitor your prisoner while the emergency lights, headlights, and spot light shines in your eyes.  TROOPER TRAP is your answer to that.

Below are three pictures showing how difficult it is to see inside the police car.  When prisoners are arrested and placed in the transport unit, officers still might have to get report information, inventory a vehicle, investigate an accident, interview witnesses, interview other subjects, arrest other subjects, chase or fight other subjects, or a number of other things.

 

• Why do we need TROOPER TRAP, the officer should watch the prisoner?

  TROOPER TRAP is an officer safety device.  Officers are expected to:  watch other vehicle traffic, watch people approaching the scene of the incident, inventory vehicles, locate witnesses and get witness statements, deal with passengers in the vehicle, arrest multiple suspects, relay information back to the dispatcher, watch the prisoner, and stay alive. 

  Some administrative officials think prisoner escapes are because of poor officer safety, the officer being too relaxed and not paying attention, or obvious violation of policy.  I guess they have been behind the desk too long and have not seen the criminal being arrested today.  Criminals will do what ever it takes to get away, they do not have anything to lose.  Officers are killed and injured daily. 

  A prisoner escape is not due to a relaxed officer safety by the officer.  Escapes are strictly desperate people taking desperate actions to avoid jail.  They will go to whatever measure it takes to get away.

   

• Can you remove the patrol unit keys to prevent escapes?

After an arrest and placing the subject in the patrol unit, some people and departments think officers can turn the patrol unit off, remove the key, and leave the prisoner inside.  This is not a viable or safe option during prisoner handling.  States have criminal laws against leaving children and pets in vehicles unattended.  It is suggested nobody put anybody or leave anybody in a vehicle with little or no ventilation, for example caged police cars.  Departments and officers have to remember, they are responsible for the prisoner while in their custody; heat stroke included.  Remember:  Innocent until proven guilty.

• 73 degrees outside, vehicles heat up to 100 degrees in 10 minutes and 120 degrees in 30 minutes. 

• 90 degrees outside, the vehicle can heat up to 160 degrees within just a few minutes.

• 93 degrees with a window down 1 inch, the temperature inside a car could reach 125 degrees in 20 minutes and about 140 degrees in 40 minutes.

• Heat exhaustion can occur above 90 degrees and heat stroke can occur above 105 degrees.

• Even if officers remove the patrol unit keys, prisoner can still escape and damage the patrol unit.
  
  Heat information: http://www.ots.ca.gov/pressroom/2001/pr083101.asp or http://ggweather.com/heat  

• What about a prisoner transport partition?

  TROOPER TRAP can be used to prevent an escape with or without a transport partition or cage system.  For a prisoner to escape from the patrol unit, they have to release the seatbelt.  When the seatbelt is released, an alarm sounds on the outside of the patrol unit to alert the officer. 

  Most departments have some type of prisoner partition device or cage.  This cage system can not always  keep the prisoner inside by itself.  Prisoners have kicked out the side window, the back window, crawled through the sliding glass of the cage system, and prisoner's friends have opened the patrol car door and let the prisoner out while the officer is distracted.  Cages are great when transporting a combative prisoner, but is not escape proof.

  Seatbelts should be used for every prisoner transport.  This is not only a safety reason, but to limit a huge liability in case of an accident during transport or even the prisoner striking their head on the cage and then claiming injury. 

  For units without a cage system most policy requires the prisoner to be handcuffed behind their back and seat belted into the front passenger seat and a second subject would be seat belted in the passenger rear seat. 

• What kind of external vehicle alarm?

  TROOPER TRAP was invented, designed, and built to use the standard car horn equipped on the patrol car or the add on siren of the car alarm device.  By using the horn or siren already installed, this keeps the price at an affordable level for big departments and officers alike.

• Who should use TROOPER TRAP?

  Everybody.  TROOPER TRAP can be added to current vehicle in the fleet and new vehicles alike.  
  The uses are unlimited.  Here are a few ideas: 

  Bounty Hunters Undercover Units Sport Utility Vehicles Standard Patrol Units Gang Enforcement Units

  Prisoner Transport Vans Prisoner Transport Buses Prisoner Transport Airplanes Any vehicle used to transport Weapons in patrol units

  Subjects standing outside the police car waiting during a traffic stop or a vehicle search.  Standing outside the police car allows the subject the opportunity to flee on foot, being run over by a passing vehicle, or an attack on the officer while the officer's back is turned.

  Subjects seated in the police car with or without handcuffs plus with or without prisoner transport partitions waiting during a traffic stop or a vehicle search.  Being inside the police car, the subject can kick and damage the police car, steal the police car, get access to a weapon inside the police car, or slip the handcuffs and attack officers when they return to the police car.

Expect the unexpected.......
Stats on officer deaths and injuries from poor prisoner handling and control

A study of 800 cases over a ten year period revealed that proper search,
restraint, and transportation procedures were not being adhered to.

National Reserve Law Officers
 NRLO Director of Training, Captain Chuck Mantkus, said of this seatbelt device:
"The 'Trooper Trap' seat belt alarm system is absolutely outstanding.  This should have been on Law Enforcement Units years ago.  I know of many, many cases where it would have saved the lives of Officers and others.  Congratulations are due; and I hope that the device becomes mandatory on all Law Enforcement vehicles.  This device should be promoted world-wide."

 

Back to main menu

 

Trooper Trap is not endorsed or affiliated with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.