SIU Gets Bomb Disposal Robot

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Members of the bomb squad for Southern Illinois University and Carbondale have a new member, hard-wired to handle the dangerous work.

The squad has purchased a $150,000 remote-controlled, bomb-disposing robot with a federal Homeland Security Grant administered through the state's Terrorism Task Force and the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System.

The robot has several cameras and light attachments, lasers, and an extendable grabbing arm.

Carbondale police Sgt. Mark Goddard says the robot is versatile, able to look over walls, around corners and underneath vehicles.

The unit is one of 11 FBI-certified bomb squads in the state and the only local law enforcement-based squad in Illinois south of Champaign.

The unit generally handles six to eight calls a year, some involving suspicious packages.