Robot Helps Stop Standoff
A robot with a video recorder helped subdue a man in Pierce County, Wash., on Aug. 26. A Pierce County Swat team arrived at the apartment complex where the man lived after he told officers that he intended to kill himself. The man did not come to work on Friday, which prompted his supervisor to phone his apartment. The soldier told the supervisor that he was armed with a firearm and had stayed up drinking through the night. He also indicated that his wife and 3-year-old son were present in the apartment. Lakewood police evacuated the apartment complex after arriving at the scene. Police negotiators talked to the man throughout the morning and he agreed that his wife and son could leave the apartment after several hours. However, a bomb robot was sent into the apartment after negotiators were unable to convince the man to surrender. Images shown by the robot indicated the man was unarmed, which gave officers the green light to burst into the apartment to subdue him.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Tacoma News Tribune (WA) (08/27/05) P. B4; Hucks, Karen; Carson, Rob .
