The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office unveiled a self-driving police cruiser equipped with a deployable drone.

Called “PUG” or police unmanned ground, it’s the first autonomous police vehicle in the country.

“I think it’s a game-changer,” said Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, according to WPLG Local 10.

“For us, it’s a way we can touch our community in a way that we really have never done before, and we are setting the standard of what will be the future of law enforcement in our country,” Cordero-Stutz added.

Watch footage of the vehicle below:

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More from WPLG Local 10:

The high-tech patrol partner was donated by the company Policing Lab and is equipped with 360-degree cameras, license plate readers, audio sensors, thermal imaging and more.

“It has the capability to assist folks that are in a restricted area, or are hiding in shrubbery or in an overwatch position, like someone on a rooftop,” said Edward Prokop, with Policing Lab.

PUG can drive preplanned routes on its own, and the sheriff says it will be a critical crime-fighting tool and a bridge to boosting confidence in the community.

“If we have an active situation, an active shooting or a critical response, we can send this vehicle in and it will deploy a drone that will give us aerial footage (in) real time for our deputies that are responding,” said Cordero-Stutz. “For the first few months or a year or so, we will have a deputy in that vehicle before it goes fully autonomous. What the reason is, (is that) we want hear from our community, what they like about it, and what their concerns are.”

“Today, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office made history as we unveiled the nation’s first autonomous patrol vehicle – the PUG Patrol Partner – in partnership with Policing Lab. Equipped with AI-driven analytics, 360° cameras, thermal imaging, license plate recognition, and drone launch capabilities, the PUG is designed to support deputies, enhance safety, and strengthen community trust,” the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office stated last week.

“This program marks another step forward in making Miami-Dade a national leader in public safety innovation,” it added.

Miami Herald shared further info:

Deputies also will be able to request that it come to active crime scenes to provide support with its drone and other capabilities, Cordero-Stutz said. It will not, however, be used in police chases, as it will be speed-limited and unable to drive on highways.

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The PUG will eventually be allowed to drive the streets of Miami-Dade unmanned after a healthy amount of community feedback, the sheriff said. But a deputy will be in the front seat as the vehicle drives itself — for at least the first year.

The sheriff’s office will continue to display the car at community events through October before allowing it to patrol later in the year.

“We want to get it out to as many communities to get as much feedback as possible to help us build a better product,” Cordero-Stutz said.

NBC News provided additional coverage:

 

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