TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A new crime-fighting canine is headed to the Taylor Police Department, but it may not be what you think.
The department's soon-to-be newest member is a robot — a robotic dog.
7 Action News showed Casandra Walker, a taxpaying Taylor resident, a video of the device.
“Oh, my goodness. Looks like a little dog walking around," she said.
She asked, "What is its purpose?”
Steve Reinharz, the creator of RAD DOG, said it’s an artificial intelligence crime-fighting tool. It's designed to help during dangerous encounters like standoffs.
Walker said, “I think that’s a good idea. It’ll keep our patrol officers safe.”
Reinharz, the founder of Robotic Assistance Devices, said that’s the exact idea.
He explained, “We allow remote de-escalation of high-intensity incidents in order to hopefully have better outcomes for both the citizens and law enforcement.”
Reinharz said the robot is equipped with several cameras for a 360-degree view, it can climb stairs, and it can be controlled remotely from another state.
Once RAD DOG enters a potentially dangerous situation, like a standoff, an officer can interact with a suspect through a screen and talk to the suspect like they're on a Zoom call.
Taylor police chief John Blair told 7 Action News that makes for a much calmer interaction, it takes a loudspeaker out of the equation, and it can prevent the use of deadly force.
“We’re going to train with it, and we’re going to see the pluses and the minuses. We’re going to see the things that fail on it and succeed. We’re going to give that feedback to the company so that they can improve the product," Blair explained.
Troy McCanna, a former FBI special agent, who now works for the company said technology has evolved for the better for law enforcement.
“We get asked all the time what happens if the robot dog gets hurt, shot, kicked. I would love that. I would love nothing more because that means there’s an officer or a citizen that didn’t get shot, kicked, or hurt," McCanna explained.
Chief Blair said the department has a 1-year lease, for $32,000, and RAD DOG could be deployed in the next couple of weeks.
Walker said, “Next thing you know, we’re going to have robotic police officers walking around like Robocop."
"Well, Detroit was the backdrop for that," 7 Action News replied.
She replied, "Yes it was. Yes, it was.”
