How do Richmond County deputies use bomb squad robots?

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - You may have seen the headlines about San Francisco voting to let police there use killer robots.

The city’s police board of supervisors passed a new policy that allows officers to use the same robots that can detonate a bomb remotely to use deadly force.

That deadly force can be used on a suspect in a standoff situation or something similar if everything else fails.

What you probably didn’t know is that the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has the same technology and the capability to kill a suspect, if it comes to that, with the sheriff’s approval.

We spoke with the head of the bomb unit to find out how the agency is using these robots here in Augusta.

The robots are wireless, run off batteries and are operated by an officer inside the bomb unit. Each robot costs around $250,000, funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Richmond County has two, nicknamed Wilson and Steve.

They’re armed with multiple cameras, lasers, tongs to move things, and wheels for all types of terrain. The explosive ordnance disposable robots have protected many lives since they first joined the force in 2005.

Their main use over the years has been to dispose of suspicious packages.

“We have it as the bomb squad for any kind of suspicious packages or anything. But they can be used in a swat situation. And also, as far as doing any kind of surveillance, you could use it for communications. When you’re trying to get close enough to engage a suspect,” said Cpt. Bruce Williams, bomb squad commander.

But engaging a suspect is what’s putting this decades-old technology in the national headlines.

“As far as taking it and using it against a person, that would come into a different category and go from there,” he said.

It’s a category so rare that the bomb squad has only tried it once in 17 years.

“We’ve only loaded it up once in my career. Or since we’ve had it to a lethal situation. We never ended up getting the subject because he was up in an attic. We never got him with the robot. But it was armed to go lethal. He was actually shooting at us,” Williams said.

He says while the robots can be lethal, that falls into extreme circumstances that would have to be approved by Sheriff Richard Roundtree himself.

We asked to see the policy.

“We have not discussed it yet,” Williams said. “Something we’re going to have to sit down and take a long look at. We also have not really written a policy on doing that. Of course, that would have to come from the sheriff if he would allow us to ... take that option.”

The only policy in place about when and how the robots can be used for lethal force is approval from the sheriff.

The robots have two separate attachments for lethal force. One of them has a laser, and the two cylinders have the ability to launch explosives.

They asked us to turn the camera off to see the other one. It looks more like a big gun attached to the robot.

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