Yankton Police Get Robot to Check Dangerous Scenes

YANKTON, S.D. - The Yankton Police Department has bought a robot that will check out potentially dangerous scenes before officers enter.

Officer Michael Burgeson says that in a situation involving a possible gunman, the department will send the robot in before officers are put in harm's way.

The department spent a few hundred dollars to get the robot through a program that allows state and local law enforcement agencies to buy used military equipment.

A Yankton officer has named the robot R2-D2 in honor of the robot featured in Star Wars films.

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