Drug enforcement teams dismantle meth lab bombs by using robots
October 15, 2008
When the St. Louis County Police purchased their RMI-9WT Bomb Removal Robot with Homeland Security funds in 2005, it cost them $103,000.00. But, if you ask the Franklin County police, they’ll tell you that it’s worth every penny.
After Franklin County police arrived at the scene of an active meth lab, they realized they needed to call for some assistance. St. Louis County Police agreed it was time to pull out all of the stops and deploy their RMI-9WT Bomb Removal Robot.
Once the RMI-9WT arrived, police realized they had a problem. The small size of the home prevented sending the robot in to find the bomb. It was time for plan B, a bomb technician was sent in to the home to remove the bomb and hand it off to the RMI-9WT robot that waited outside.
With bomb in hand, the RMI-9WT took the bomb to an open field, where it was detonated. Police described the explosion to a WWII grenade. Shrapnel, they reported, flew as far out as 75 yards away, but no one got injured, thanks to the assistance of the robot.
The RMI-9WT survived the blast, but it didn’t fare as well as the humans involved in the meth lab bust. It sustained nearly $25,000 in damages.
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