For most viewers, Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 scifi masterpiece “RoboCop” is obvious satire. Evidently for police officials in Florida, it was an inspiration.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office recently announced its ambitious plans to deploy “America’s first autonomous patrol vehicle,” a police SUV the law enforcement agency claims can drive itself, all while reporting crimes via AI-powered cameras.

Called the Police Unmanned Ground Vehicle Patrol Partner, or PUG, the self-driving squad car is rolling out as part of a year-long trial in coordination with the Policing Lab, a nonprofit “innovation center” founded by a former Los Angeles police officer named Sean Malinowski.

According to TheTruthAboutCars, an auto industry publication, the autonomous cop car can also launch flying drones “as neede

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