Florida Poly Police becomes first agency in U.S. to use electric flying vehicle

Florida Polytechnic University is making history with a nearly $150,000 electric flying vehicle that could help police officers respond to emergencies while giving students hands-on experience with emerging aviation technology.The aircraft, called Astro, is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. Florida Poly says its University Police Department is the first law enforcement agency in the country to incorporate this type of aircraft into its operations.Police Chief Aaron Murray said the technology reflects how quickly law enforcement tools can evolve.When I first started, we were still writing reports, Murray said. They were just implementing computers so we were happy that we got to type reports instead of writing reports but, as you know, technology when it becomes available, it rapidly progresses.Murray said Astro could be a game changer when every second counts."This is mission-specific. If somebody is missing from our campus or in our local area, if a plane goes