ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office has deployed a new robot to aid in a crisis.
The sheriff’s office bought the Vantage Breacher Robot and other pieces of equipment in 2024 after receiving a $720,000 state grant.
The robot can be used to deescalate situations, such as a mental health crisis, hostage situation or if a person is barricaded inside a structure. Sheriff Travis Allen said it keeps deputies out of dangerous situations and protects the lives of those in crisis.
“This gives us an avenue to approach those without bringing an armed deputy in there to maybe antagonize or push an issue when we can just take our time, slow down a little bit and use this technology to try to bring something to a safe conclusion,” Allen said.
The robot can climb stairs and push open doors. It has three cameras to give deputies an inside look of the areas the robot is exploring and two-way microphones so crisis negotiators can communicate with the person on the other side.
“Our goal is to always resolve something peacefully,” Chief Deputy Jason Owens said. “In situations where you have a barricaded subject, someone refusing to come out or refusing to comply with orders from law enforcement, it does help to have something that you can send them once they stop communicating with you to reestablish that communication.”
The sheriff’s office’s special response team has been training with the robot for several months. They first deployed it in April when a man, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, was barricaded inside an apartment. Negotiators spoke with him through the robot’s microphone, and he surrendered peacefully, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We were able to take that individual for treatment at a medical facility without having to push it into a much more tragic possible situation,” Allen said.
Suzanne Jones, a licensed clinical social worker for Cabarrus Rowan Community Health Centers, said tools like the robot can be beneficial, especially when a mental health specialist is not there to assist.
“Deescalation is really important in a crisis situation because emotions are already high,” Jones said. “You really have to be very particular with everything you do so that it doesn't go further. We all know that when our mind is not in the best place, that we make a lot of rash decisions. If we have a calm, cool, collected approach, then we're going to be able to help that individual.”
The robot is also being used in Wayne County, Nash County and Matthews, according to Transcend Robotics.
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