By Michael Van Cassell
Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Tossing around $14,000 worth of electronic equipment may seem like a bad idea, but that’s how the city and county’s joint SWAT unit spent its Wednesday morning.
Officers and deputies were training with the team’s newest piece of equipment, a high-tech gizmo that would be the dream Christmas present for any radio-controlled device enthusiast.
Unit members hope the remote-controlled, camera-equipped Recon Scout Throwbot will make them safer during hostage and standoff situations.
Sgt. Terrance Bell, commander of the joint SWAT unit, said it would be his first option for entering a building in the case of a standoff.
“If this is in the room where the event goes down, where the capture takes place, then we have video of it,” Bell said. “The problem is getting in that room.”
The 6-inch-long, two-wheeled device can break windows in case there is no way to enter the building. It can even drive over snow.
“It’s not heavy, but it’s durable,” Bell said.
Rob Cleveland, Cheyenne-Laramie County Emergency Management Agency director, said there are two of the devices - one for the Cheyenne Police Department and one for the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department for use by the SWAT and explosive ordnance disposal units.
With video screen controllers, they cost about $18,000 each. Cleveland said funding came through the Wyoming Department of Homeland Security.
He said the devices could be used for anti-terrorism and other events.
“They’re available for law enforcement to use them for anything they need,” he said.
SWAT members trained with the bot in full gear at the Cheyenne Fire and Rescue Training Center on Campstool Road.
The devices have a 1,000-foot range, which varies depending on a building’s structure.
Operators can use the screen on the robot’s controller to navigate.
The team can see where people are without jeopardizing team safety, and SWAT members also can verify the identity of individuals inside a building using the device’s camera.
It’s high-tech, but is it hard to drive?
“It takes the training of an average 5-year-old to operate a videogame,” Bell said.
Copyright 2010 Cheyenne Newspapers, Inc.