Police robots are becoming more and more prevalent at departments across the USA. Their use in the past has been to gather information without risking the lives of police officers. Their use against human suspects has been making news of late as well. They scumbag who launched a one-man jihad against the Dallas Police Department met his maker thanks to a Dallas PD robot armed with an explosive charge. Oh, what a shame that was.
And just this week, a not-so-bright suspect in Los Angeles County standoff with police had his gun swiped by a stealthy police robot while he wasn't looking. The suspect promptly surrendered without injury to anyone afterwards. That's a happy ending as well.
Here's the details of the LA incident, as reported in the LA Times.
An hours-long standoff in the darkness of the high desert came to a novel end when Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies used a robot to stealthily snatch a rifle from an attempted murder suspect, authorities said Thursday.
Officials said the use of the robot to disarm a violent suspect was unprecedented for the Sheriff’s Department, and comes as law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on military-grade technology to reduce the risk of injury during confrontations with civilians.
"The robot was a game changer here,” said Capt. Jack Ewell, a tactical expert with the Sheriff’s Department — the largest sheriff’s department in the nation. “We didn't have to risk a deputy's life to disarm a very violent man."
About a dozen years ago, the Champaign County (IL) local bomb squad brought their robot to a Guns Save Life meeting and showed us how it worked. It had the ability to shoot (two, single-shot 12-gauge smooth bores), x-ray, photograph, probe, prod, grab and carry things. It could traverse stairs and talk to bad guys, too, and had some basic tools it could employ as well. I don't remember exactly what it cost, but the feds bought most of it. I'm sure that if you're the guy who doesn't have to get shot at or mess with a explosive device, the robotic technology is priceless.
No doubt technology has advanced dramatically since then and will continue to do so.