Jooish

Florida Poly Unveils Nation’s First Flying Police Vehicle Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland just showed off Astro, a manned electric aircraft its police department plans to use for campus patrols and emergency response. The single-seat vehicle can take off and land vertically, reach about 63 mph, and stay airborne for roughly 20 minutes. Students in computer science and mechanical engineering are already training with it while the university waits on final FAA approval, which officials hope could come later this year. Once cleared, campus police say Astro will help monitor the grounds, reach areas that are hard to access by road, assist with missing-person searches, and support post-storm recovery efforts. The department also plans to work with other local agencies on larger public safety responses. It’s the first law enforcement agency in the country to integrate this kind of piloted electric aircraft into its operations.