Korean Police Agency to introduce smart patrol cars

Starting late this year, patrol cars that are as smart as the KITT in the American soap opera “Knight Rider” will be seen around criminal scenes in Korea.

The National Police Agency of Korea announced on Monday that it will develop and distribute “Korean smart patrol cars” in a phased introduction until the year of 2018. The agency will put in an annual sum of 350 million won (299,000 dollars) over the next three years for the joint R&D investment with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.

In the first phase, the smart patrol cars to be provided starting in November this year will be equipped with “multi cameras” capable of identifying objects and criminal vehicles in the dark through infrared sensors. In tandem with a quick deployment system, the smart patrollers are expected to respond to criminal much more quickly.

The patrol cars are going to be even smarter by 2018. If vehicles under immediate arrangements for kidnapping or robbery begin to move, the smart cars will instantly analyze their history of travel paths and predict their escape routes. By linking them with an internet system to check and collect traffic fines and penalties, smart patrollers will automatically detect once vehicles that did not pay the fines pass them.

Equipped with a rear sensor capable of monitoring as far as 200 meters in the back, smart patrol cars will be able to check drunken driving and inspect the scene of traffic accidents while sending guiding messages to the cars running from behind through a guide panel under the light bar. A special bumper will also be added to the smart police cars designed to cushion the shock from colliding with other vehicles in a chase.

tigermask@donga.com