The Rincon Police Department is hoping to make pursuits a little less dangerous in the future.

City council approved the purchase of four sets of stinger spike tire deflation devices Monday night. Each set costs $722 and they will be distributed among the four shifts, Chief Mike Bohannon said.

Each set has 110 detachable, hollow spikes, with lengths from 1.8 to 3 inches.

“An officer can take it and slide it across the road,” Bohannon said. “It slowly deflates the tire.”

That makes it a more controllable situation, rather than having a sudden blowout on a tire with the driver possibly losing control.

“It’s easier to stop those vehicles,” Bohannon said, “and it’s also safer.”

The continued population growth along Highway 21 was also on the chief’s mind.

“We’re surrounded by jurisdictions that have pursuit policies,” Bohannon said. “It’s another tool the officers can use to slow these high-speed pursuits down.”

The spikes are used by the Georgia State Patrol and the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, according to Bohannon, and they can be placed back into service in a manner of minutes after being deployed.

“It slows these pursuits down,” he said.

Bohannon also said the in-car cameras for Rincon Police cruisers should be in in two weeks.

Council members also appointed Joel Moore to fill the city’s vacant seat on the Effingham County recreation board, which had been vacant for a while, according to Rincon Recreation Department Coordinator David Wooten.

City council also tabled the approval of master plan from Greenland Developers for a 26.8 acre tract adjacent to Lowe’s and the Tractor Supply Company. Council members also asked representatives from the Effingham Industrial Development Authority to come to the meeting to discuss possible access points to the IDA’s Research Forest Tract, which borders that area of Rincon.