Crime & Safety
Robot May Join Gloucester Township Police Department
The department already has two police robots, but those are getting old and need replacing, the township police chief said.
GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A robot will likely soon join the ranks of the Gloucester Township Police Department, comments made at Monday's township council meeting indicate.
The township council authorized the advertising of bids for the police robot at the meeting after Gloucester Township Police Chief David J. Harkins discussed how the current robots used by the police department — which are 10 and eight years old —are "obsolete" and need replacing.
The new robot the police department is eyeing "has visual capabilities ... and can go up steps ..." which is something the current robots can not do, Harkins said at the meeting.
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"In the past when I was a SWAT officer, we didn't have that capability," he continued. "This robot allows us to go and see what happened where the person is made contact with them. We can search most of the house without actually putting any officers in harm's way."
Neither the township council nor the police chief provided an exact date that the robot might be brought on board.
Find out what's happening in Gloucester Townshipfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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