by Michael Gauthier
- An autonomous patrol vehicle has joined the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
- It’s designed to patrol high-crime areas and report anything of note.
- The Explorer-based AV has a drone launcher and a license plate reader.
Policing Lab and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office have joined forces to unveil the Police Unmanned Ground Patrol Partner. Nicknamed PUG, it’s being billed as the “nation’s first autonomous patrol vehicle.”
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While a police car without a cop is technically just a car, Policing Lab says the PUG is a “force multiplier” that helps improve efficiency, enhance safety, and extend deputy resources.
The company’s executive director, Marjolijn Bruggeling, added that it “increases situational awareness, automates repetitive tasks, and frees deputies to focus on the complex and human side of policing.”
Autonomy on Patrol
Policing Lab didn’t say much about the vehicle itself, but it’s based on the popular Ford Police Interceptor Utility and features autonomous driving technology from Perrone Robotics. This enables it to patrol “crime-prone areas, acting as a visible deterrent.”
More importantly, the PUG is a mobile surveillance vehicle as it’s equipped with an assortment of cameras and a thermal imaging system. There’s also a license plate reader as well as a drone launcher. This provides real-time information to authorities as well as alerts when certain license plates are found. This suggests the PUG could help find stolen vehicles and call in police officers for assistance.
Pilot Program and Public Reaction
While the PUG is an interesting concept, it is still at its early stages. It will initially be assigned to the Community Affairs Bureau and will make appearances at public events, where Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and her team plan to gather community feedback before considering broader deployment.
The pilot program will run for a year, focusing on outcomes such as faster response times, stronger deterrence, improved officer safety, and deeper public trust. Whether it’s a genuine leap forward or a well-staged experiment remains to be seen, but Miami-Dade’s newest recruit certainly has people talking.
