1. Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association
OR
EGON STA
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SHERI
FFS’ ASSOCIA
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11Spring
E
verything about the Washington
County Sheriff’s Office Robot Team is
cutting edge. More formally called the
Remotely Operated Vehicle Team, this group
responds from a command post to deploy
robotic technologies to assist law enforcement.
If you think your agency can’t get started or
you don’t have the resources, take a look at our
story and see how it can become yours, with a
little creativity and a mind wide open to
the possibilities.
Building a Robot Team does not happen
overnight. Even in our forward-thinking
agency, our troops did not initially embrace the
robot team. But when we hit a brick wall, we
responded like a robot -- we backed up a little,
changed our focus, and went forward. We
learned to listen and started recognizing the
benefits. Our troops soon transitioned from
skeptical to embracing the advantages.
Even the composition of this Robot Team
is innovative - melding jail deputies, patrol
deputies, and civilians – as a collateral duty
assignment. It is easy to identify the right
people. There tend to be the “techies” in your
agency who are highly motivated to blend their
jobs with their hobby. Relating the fun idea to
an honorable mission is just icing on the cake.
Our SWAT Team Bought the
First Robot
In 2006, our Tactical Negotiations Team
(TNT) – think SWAT – used Homeland
Security grant funds to purchase our first
robot. It was a small bomb robot designed for
military use – a Mini Andros II by Remotec.
The military had been using robots for quite
some time, but they were relatively new to
police. That changed with the Persian Gulf
wars. Robot technology rapidly became
more widely available. Aside from observing
and manipulating explosive devices, law
enforcement learned that robots could also
provide views from inside a building during a
tactical event or perform simple tasks remotely,
such as opening doors or following sounds.
The “generation one” robot was bulky and
cumbersome. It was mainly used to pick up
Robot Cops
Detective Patrick Altiere and Sergeant Tristan Sundsted

2. Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association
OR
EGON STA
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SHERI
FFS’ ASSOCIA
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12 www.oregonsheriffs.org
explosive devices outdoors. It was tethered, meaning it had a cable
from the control box to the robot itself. It was not user friendly or
durable. Our TNT used it a couple times; each time, something
managed to break on it. The robot’s early life was spent mostly
confined to a storage trailer. Spring forward, to the latest generation
robot….I think there needs to be something to transition to what is
currently being used.
Our Key to Staffing
In the spring of 2008, we were not making progress, so command
decided to try a different staffing approach. Rather than trying
to get TNT experts to learn robotics, they solicited agency-wide
for people interested in
applying police robotics.
Robot Team positions were
offered as a collateral duty
assignment (in addition to
full-time assignment).
The lieutenant
selecting team
members made a great
observation -- every viable
candidate was a video gamer. This makes
sense as gamers often understand that robots operate in a
3D world on a flat video screen.
Initial Training
In May of 2008, the robot manufacturer trained our team of six
on how to use and, more importantly, fix the robot. The vision
was for the team to be called out with TNT on major
incidents. A few months later, we received our first
callout. We used the robot to approach a
house and get a view
of the scene for the
command post via our
remote monitor. It just so
happened that when the bad
guy came out to surrender,
he surrendered to the robot.
However, after that, the first
few years were pretty slow.
One challenge was integrating
the Robot Team and its
technology into the well-
established TNT operations
plans. Though not initially
successful, we kept trying.
Redirecting to Community Outreach with Robots
You could say our callouts fluctuated quite a bit over the next three
years - in 2011 we didn’t respond to a single call. As disappointing
as this was, it gave us the impetus to branch out and join public
events. There were two clear benefits.
First, we found a new platform for public engagement. People
often do not see a deputy outside a patrol car or the jail. The robots
attract a lot of attention and they are catalysts for connecting to an
audience who might never have police contact. In addition to public
events, we present to engineering groups at universities, high school
robot clubs, and at neighborhood safety fairs. We talk not only
about robots, but also about our work and how we serve them. The
robots help people get to know us.
Second, robot technology can be controversial. We were surprised
when literally every citizen embraced the value of robots helping
to keep us safe. These days, we have far more public events and
presentations than callouts. The trust we build in the community
will undoubtedly help us garner support for expanding our
responsible use of technology into the future.
One Robot Leads to . . . Better Robots
In 2010, the Sheriff’s Robot Team built a small remote controlled
(RC) robot. We wanted a small, quick, and agile camera on wheels,
but not many were on the market. Our team built one using an RC
rock crawler truck, an off-the-shelf wireless router, and a couple of
IP cameras. While the prototype worked, it was not practical for
actual use; however, it still proved that a small, quick, wireless robot
would benefit the team.
Eventually, we secured grant funding to buy the Avatar I by
Robotex; it was small, wireless, and had two cameras. It had a drive
camera and a 360 degree pan tilt zoom camera. Rugged, water
resistant, and with a small, easy-to-use hand-held controller, our
team immediately liked it and started formulating ways it could
be used.
Routine Patrol Searches
The new rugged and easily portable robots could also be used for
routine patrol searches. The new concept would allow a Robot
Team deputy to patrol with a robot in his vehicle. Operating outside
the TNT umbrella provided its own
unique challenges. We
had to think about cover
officers, arrest teams, and
other support people. We
had to transition from
being the support team
to needing support in
the field.
Deputy Frank Ward demonstrating the robot
controller to Deputy Micah Akin
Canine Vasko

3. Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association
OR
EGON STA
TE
SHERI
FFS’ ASSOCIA
TION
13Spring
Robots Supporting . . . Other Robots
By 2012, the use of our team in patrol was on the rise. We had two
incidents where the whole team, including the big robot, was called
out by patrol, but not in a TNT support function. On one of those
calls, both the Andros and Avatar robots were deployed. In the
process of the deployment, we ran the small robot out of range and
had to use the larger tethered robot to retrieve it. This was the first
time two robots were deployed at the same time supporting each
other. It was also a great example of maintaining multiple robots
with varying control systems. While tethered robots are generally
considered older platforms, there are times when the wireless models
just do not work as well.
The Amazing K-9 Connection
The idea of teaming a Robot with a police K9 seems a little odd
at first, but we heard some agencies were experimenting with the
concept. We started slow by just driving the robot by the dogs,
letting them sniff and study it. We worked on having the dog sit
while driving the robot up behind them and around. Once the dogs
were comfortable with that, we designed drills where the
K9 would search for a hidden person. We let the robots
open doors and watched the dogs
search. It was fascinating to watch the
dogs interact with the robot.
A K9 handler explained during a
search in the dark that his dog was
trained to search a lit area, so we had
the robot light an area. Not only did
the dog search the area, it came back
to the robot as it would a handler.
We progressed to the handler giving
direction to the dog via the robot
controller. It worked so well, we were able to send a dog
deep into a building without a human
partner, yet we could still control where the
dog was going.
Audio and Video
Recording Challenge
In 2013, we received our third robot, a
second-generation from Robotex, the
Avatar II. This model could record audio
and video. Oregon law is very specific that
if you are recording audio, you have to
notify the person you are recording. We
labeled the robot with this warning, and we
began announcing it during searches, much
like a K9 team announces a dog search. We
also include verbiage in our TNT loud-
hails now that they may be recorded.
Today and Into the Future
In 2014, the initial internal resistance to robotics is melting away
and our calls are increasing. We consistently are called out to
support patrol searches, K9 units, and TNT calls. Our Robot Team
consists of nine members and five robots. Our team just added two
additional “throwable” robots to our fleet. These will augment our
Field Search Robot program to better provide 24/7 coverage for
patrol operations.
By having this team, our county is staging to enter the arena of
Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The initial FAA hurdles are relaxing,
making room for UAS integration into the National Airspace. Our
team is set up and ready to face this newest challenge by supporting
tactical operations in the air through technology.
Robot Team -- Law Enforcement (LE)Technology Manager Kevin Kane, Sergeant Tristan Sundsted,
Deputy Matt Cunningham, Deputy Kevin Kearns, Detective Patrick Altiere,
Deputies Brad Davis, Jim Berning, and Frank Ward
Written by Sergeant Tristan Sundsted,
Washington County Sheriff’s Office