Robot joins Athens Police Department

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The tactical robot will allow officers to keep safe distances in dangerous situations.... — The tactical robot will allow officers to keep safe distances in dangerous situations. (Source: WAFF)

DECATUR, AL (WAFF) - A robot has joined an Alabama police department, and the department has the new, high-tech tool thanks to a restaurant chain.

The tactical robot, donated through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, will allow officers to stay at a safe distance in certain situations, decreasing the risks to police.

The Athens Police Department demonstrated some of what the robot can do at the Firehouse Subs location in Decatur. The restaurant chain footed the tab to the robot, which costs nearly $25,000.

The robot will be used to gather information during potentially high-risk operations, for example, when someone has barricaded themselves or when there is a hostage situation.

Officers will be able to talk to a suspect through the robot, and the robot can also feed back visuals. It can be used to look for suspects in buildings or a confined area, such as under a porch, and it can be used in some search and rescue missions.

Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson said his department will train other police and fire departments on how to use the robot, and let them use it.

"When they have a situation where they need a robot, we'll make it available to them," Johnson said. "(We can) make the operator available to them, or they can use it themselves. But we want to train other areas on how to use it and the capabilities that it has. We've been blessed to get a piece of equipment like this for the safety of our staff and the citizens of our community. We just want to share that with other departments."

The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has, in the past, donated equipment to the Lacey's Spring Volunteer Fire Department and Decatur Fire & Rescue, which received two heart monitors.

Decatur firefighters used one of those monitors six months ago to save a man's life.

Buddy and Bonnie Thornton were in attendance at the Thursday presentation. In May, Buddy went into cardiac arrest at their home.

Using the heart monitor, Decatur Firefighters Danny Engle, Brett Kelley and Cory Aldridge were able to immediately detect Buddy's cardiac rhythm. That helped them to get to work more quickly and they revived his pulse.

Buddy's wife talked about that day, and how the firefighters, using that monitor, were able to save her husband's life.

"You hear the door and the firemen coming in, and they work on him 10 minutes," Bonnie recalled. "You don't know what they're working on him with, but you know they're working on him to get him breathing again, and bringing him back to life. And then, after 10 minutes, when they stuck their heads around the door and said, 'Well, we got a blood pressure and we got a heart rate, and he's going to make it.'"

The Firehouse Subs chain was started by former firefighters. One of the co-founders, Robin Sorensen, said the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has donated $11 million in money and equipment to more than 900 fire and police departments.