Port Huron Police got a free robot for officer safety

Police work by its nature is inherently hazardous, said Port Huron Police Chief Jeff Baker.

But local officers have a new tool that could cut the risks. The department has been able to obtain through a Department of Defense program a robot that can be used in situations that would have placed an officer in danger.

"The reality is we do have barricaded gunmen, we do have suspicious packages," Baker said. "That happens a couple of times a year."

He stressed the Port Huron department obtained the robot at no cost to city taxpayers.

"A couple of times of year to keep my people safe?" he said. "That's a no-brainer."

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Capt. Joseph Platzer said the department applied for the robot through the Department of Defense's 1033 program.

The program transfers excess or reserve equipment that no longer is needed from the military to civilian police departments.

"We can think of a number of times in the past when we could have used it and did things differently," Baker said. "The beauty of this program is it did not cost us anything."

Platzer said the robot, which is a tracked vehicle, has an articulated grabber arm that can lift 35 pounds. Called a 510 PackBot multi-mission robot, it has a camera and is controlled using a remote unit with a joystick.

"It's just like playing a video game," he said. "I don't play video games, so I'm not an operator."

The robots have been used in Afghanistan and Iraq for detection of improvised explosive devices. Similar robots also were used to search for survivors after the attacks on 9/11.

The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office has a robot and operators that the city has used in the past.

Having its own robot and operator will allow the city department to respond more swiftly to events such as hostage situations or suspicious packages, Baker said.

"It will be used any time we want to get to something where we don't want to put a human life in danger," he said.

For example, Baker said, officers could use the robot to take a cellphone to a barricaded person so they could communicate directly instead of through a bullhorn. It could also be used to take the person a bottle of water to establish trust and a line of communication.

The robot also could be used to examine suspicious packages. Baker stressed it would not be used to deactivate explosive devices — he said that's the forte of the Michigan State Police bomb disposal unit.

It also could be used to assist firefighters in finding victims in the event of a hazmat spill, Baker said.

Platzer said several officers are being trained to operate the robot.

Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477.