Police Say Robots Are Invaluable Tool In Meth Busts
Law enforcement officials infiltrating houses where methamphetamine is produced are increasingly finding improvised explosive devices placed there by meth makers. Officers in Franklin County, Mo., recently combated this problem by employing the RMI-9WT Bomb Removal Robot–owned by St. Louis County police–which can detonate explosives in adjacent open fields, preventing injury or death to police and civilians.
The robot, which is equipped with cameras to take pictures of crime scenes, was bought in 2004 with $103,000 in Homeland Security money. Associated Press (07/14/05); Wittenauer, Cheryl St. Louis County Police Lt. Tom Grimm says he is aware of two such robots among police departments in the St. Louis region, and that St. Louis County police have utilized the robot one or more times per month.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Associated Press (07/14/05); Wittenauer, Cheryl .