The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office in Florida has appointed an autonomous SUV for police duty. Carscoops believes it is the first fully autonomous patrol vehicle in the country, and says it will mainly run patrols in the most dangerous zones of the state, collecting data.
Dubbed the Police Unmanned Ground Patrol Partner, it responds to the shorthand PUG. A closer look reveals that it is just a Ford Police Interceptor Utility (see video), a popular Ford Explorer conversion made by Policing Lab.
Aside from a distinct livery and graphics, a bull bar at the front end and other police vehicle attributes, the PUG packs an advanced camera suite, a thermal imager, a license plate recognition system and a drone launch platform. Perrone Robotics provides the autonomous driving capabilities, but we were unable to find any specifics on the system used.
Now that it is with the police, the PUG will patrol the most crime-infested areas of the state serving as a “visible deterrent,” the office says. It will also serve as a potent mobile surveillance system for keeping the police updated with the latest proceedings in these areas. Right now, it is considered a pilot program that will run for just one year before termination. However, if it succeeds in improving the crime response times while raising public trust and ensuring safety for the officers, it may be expanded.
