Miami-Dade Debuts the First Self-Driving Police Car in the U.S.

October 6, 2025

South Florida is officially stepping into the future. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office just unveiled the first autonomous police vehicle in the U.S., nicknamed “PUG” — short for Police Unmanned Ground. And no, it’s not a robot cop pulling over drivers; it’s more like a high-tech sidekick for deputies. 🚓✨

Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz called the vehicle “an important key piece to provide our community touchpoints and technology that will only make us a safer place to be.” The PUG, which looks like a Ford Explorer, will assist law enforcement rather than replace humans on the streets.

Unveiled at Super Cars Room Miami, the vehicle was developed by Policing Lab, a non-profit, and has been years in the making. Miami-Dade partnered with them to be the first law enforcement agency in the country to add an autonomous patrol car to its fleet.

Here’s the tech that makes PUG a game-changer:

360° cameras & sensors for real-time surveillance
Built-in communication hub for emergencies
Amber Alert display system for missing persons
Integrated drone support for aerial monitoring and scanning

Sheriff Cordero-Stutz explained, “I’m able to send this vehicle in and it will deploy a drone that will give us aerial footage real time for our deputies that are responding.” Basically, it’s like having a mini tech command center on wheels, making Miami-Dade policing smarter and safer.

Written by: Janetzy