It might look like a suitcase, but the NightHawk Tire Deflation Device seen here boasts a rapidly-deploying strip designed to stop perpetrators in their tracks. And, as video depicts, the system retracts quickly to prevent a pursuing officer from suffering the same tire damage to his or her police car.

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NightHawk Tire Deflation Device in action

NightHawk Tire Deflation Device in action

The NightHawk weighs a mere 30 pounds, making it easy for an officer to remove it from the trunk of a police car, quickly put it in the path of a vehicle being pursued, and then deploy it at the press of a button on a remote control. The system works from 100 feet away, meaning the officer deploying the system will be safely removed from any risk.

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NightHawk strikes us as a great interim solution with a relatively low cost for police departments compared to the dated existing spikes that must be thrown toward an oncoming perpetrator. However, the deployable spikes that MobileStrike recently showed off allow for a far higher degree of flexibility. Then again, to be effective in the line of duty, a good number of a police department's pursuit cars would have to be equipped with the MobileStrike device.

No matter what, it looks like it is becoming increasingly difficult to evade the police. Our advice? Stay legal.

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