The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, June 04, 1986, Image 4

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201 College Main
846-8721
Page 4/The Battalion/Wednesday, June 4,1986
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Police robot
Addison using modern technology os public relations toe
A/a)d
ADDISON (AP) — This town’s
newest police officer was sworn in by
Mayor Jerry Redding during a spe
cial ceremony at Bent Tree Country
Club. His first official duty was to go
to Trinity Christian Academy to be
photographed for next year’s city
calendar.
APD2 was born and raised in At
lanta by 21 st Century Robotics.
Rather than leasing as most depart
ments do, Addison bought him for
$17,750. “They were amazed we
were making an outright purchase,”
says Taylor, adding that the funds
came from the hotel-motel tax reve
nues.
It was an extraordinary beginning
for an out-of-the-ordinary officer.
He’s 5-foot-5 and weighs 200
pounds. It takes two Sam Browne
belts to circumscribe his 56-inch wa
sh. He wears a badge, carries a .45
caliber automatic. But his weapon is
unloaded.
This rookie is a robot.
They’re called him APD2. APD is
acronym for Addison Police Depart
ment. There is no APD1. Crime pre
vention Officer Gary Taylor says the
“2” is a shameless ripoff from R2D2
of “Star Wars” fame.
“We’d like to have a contest in the
schools to pick an official name for
him,” says Taylor. “But school’s al
most out, so he may be APD2 for a
while.”
In the end, it’s possible that APD2
will bite the hand that bought him.
vul be to
“He’s a public relations tool, but
you can do a lot of good with him,”
says Taylor.
When he isn’t traveling in his cus
tom fiberglass trailer, APD2 moves
about on four wheels and carries vi
deotape equipment capable of dem
onstrating 20 warning signs of
drunken driving. Taylor provides
the voice and guidance commands
with a radio transmitter.
% CAN'T
APD2 came from thefactocj M
a repertoire of one-liners andll CARTooN
One of his assignments wi
roam Addison’s bars, asking patrons
just how sober they really are. He
doesn't expect them to get the an
swer all by themselves, He has a TV
camera in his head and a screen on
his chest, so they can look themselves
over before they answer.
That, of course, could be provoca
tive, says Taylor, adding: “Someone
Taylor says APD2 goes over pre
tty well with most children, although
some can be intimidated. Daphne
Gray walks into the station with her
4-year-old son Billy. She's come over
from Fort Worth to pay a traffic
ticket.
APD2 rolls over and greets Billy.
Billy clings to his motner’s neck,
eers at APD2 from the corners of
is eyes, refuses to speak.
foot through his
might put a
screen.”
When he’s not beeping through
the bars, APD2 will be assigned to
rounds in local schools and hospitals,
spreading cheer and tips about
crime-prevention.
“Don’t you know I’m your
friend?” asks APD2 plaintively.
No response.
Ah, well.
knock jokes designed to put
at ease. (Knock knock. Wno'ij
Dishes. Dishes who? Dishestll
open up.) Taylor is looking
local jokes as well.
And what entertainer car,:|
little dance routine? APD2c
rug to the “Miami Vice"sound
although Taylor admits "Helc
hat cjuite often when he'sbretlj
ing.' Taylor wants to getiht!
tracks from "Hill Street ,"
"Beverly Hills Cop."
Taylor and APD2 comm Shoe
by radio signals that are ptii
similar to those used in cordfei
phones. As long as Taylon
robot are within about 40)
each other, everything is f
he gets outside of that range,|
says. "He’s liable to start uk
traneous signals out of thet
going bananas. He attackedc
the plants in the office one dai,I
In other words, nobod'[
APD2 down to the cornerfotij
\NMV
TlM£
ALMC
Texas congressman backs
Afghan government-in-exile
AUSTIN (AP) — Texas Con
gressman Charles Wilson said Tues
day Afghanistan “freedom fighters”
probably will win the war against So
viet forces that occupy that country
of 15 million people.
“Our big job in the United States
and the western world is to arouse
public consciousness as to the atroci
ties and the absolute brutality of the
Soviet Union in this country,” Wil
son said.
He appeared at a news conference
with representatives of the Texas
Review Society and accepted a $100
donation from that group to help
Afghanistan establish a government-
in-exile.
The University of Texas society
describes itself as a conservative stu
dent organization.
Wilson, who has been to Afghani
stan four times since 1983, said Af
ghanistan was “brutally invaded by
the Soviets six years ago, and much
to the Soviets’ surprise and to the
surprise of the world, the Red Army
has met with an absolutely fierce and
frantic resistance. The fighting has
been the severest the Red Army has
faced since World War II. Their
losses have been enormous.”
Because so many Soviet forces are
tied up on the Chinese border and in
Eastern Europe, “they have the se
rious problem of having to draft the
sons of the bureaucrats in Leningrad
and Moscow to fight in Afghanistan,
which none of them want to do,”
Wilson said.
He said the Afghans fighting the
Soviets “control 80 percent of the
country, and in all probability will
win the war.
“The Soviet response to this has
been brutality beyond anything
we’ve seen since Hitler’s gas ovens at
Auschwitz.. . . This is truly the first
case of organized genocide the
world has seen since 1940s.”
He said an effort will be made to
raise “a couple of a million dollars”
to establish a headquarters for the
Alliance of Freedom Fighters on the
northwest frontier of Afghanistan,
with counsels in Paris, London, New
York and Los Angeles.
TEA disputes no-pass, no-play survey
AUSTIN (AP) — The state educa
tion commissioner disputes a na
tional survey that says Texas’ contro
versial no pass, no play rule is
“overkill."
The Texas Association of Second
ary School Principals asked exec
utives of counterpart associations in
other states for details of their laws
on eligibility for participation in ex
tracurricular activities, and 43 re
sponded.
"Texas has shown overkill in legis
lation dealing with no pass, no play,”
the association concluded.
“Practically all states require a stu
dent to pass only three, four or five
courses to be eligible to participate in
extracurricular activities,” it said.
"These states take into account ex
treme conditions not under the con
trol of students that sometimes af
fect student achievement.”
Only Hawaii and the District of
Columbia require youngsters to pass
all their courses, the survey indi
cated. Four states leave eligibility de
cisions to local districts, and some
California cities have rules as strict as
those in Texas.
But state Education Commis
sioner Bill Kirby downplayed the
survey and said the no pass, no play
rule — which bars students from ex
tracurricular activities for six weeks
after getting a failing grade — is a
model other states are adopting.
"I don’t know that I would use the
word ‘overkill,’ " he told the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram. "But I think
Texas is way out front in that. Other
states are talking about following
Texas’ lead.”
The high school principals will be
quizzing both Gov. Mark White and
former Gov. Bill Clements about it
June 13 as they move toward an en
dorsement in the
te governor s race.
UT editor wet—^
be tried for Funk >
fake bomb
AUSTIN (AP) - Russelly
former editor of the Daily Id
will not be prosecuted onch]
of carrying a fake borai
newspaper costume party]
month, County Attorne'
Oden said.
Oden said he decided 10
miss charges against Scott
met editor of the studentne
per at the University of Ti
because the bomb hoaxVj
something that justifiedcrtsl
a criminal record for him,"
M€
IIERMC
Scott, 23, was arrestedfc From steal
vis County deputies May : 1 electronics
restaurant on the outskir bakery, a
Austin after they receivedijhnHigh tl
plaints that a man dressed-at a di ill se
Arab with a grenade strap/: The triy
his belt was in the restaurant President
The deputies found thalSfl^f <> r ( * <) ,'
r • , pari ot a n
costume contained sever h - .
flares and an alarm ckxl d fc^ ad
ped with wire. J he S 11
' tours, are i
"It was a thoroughly lni|f
sive homemade fake
Oden said, “hut I knew he«
terrorist and this was intends
a charade. But the statutts
not speak to whether it wan
or not, the whole pointbeinf
when you simulate for funaE
inal offense, that can be at.
fense itself because of (head
you can cause ..
Insurance rates spark debate in high court rac
AUSTIN (AP) — An expected controversy
facing the 1987 Legislature — soaring liability in
surance rates — has sparked a sharp exchange
between Democratic runoff candidates for a seat
on the Texas Supreme Court.
State Sen. Oscar Mauzy, a Dallas attorney, has
accused San Antonio Appeals Court Judge Shir
ley Butts of tipping her hand on how she would
rule on personal injury suits if she wins a seat on
the state’s highest court.
Butts says Mauzy’s heavy support from many
attorneys who file personal injury suits would
render him unable to issue fair decisions.
Long legislative hearings with competing testi
mony from insurance industry representatives
and the legal fraternity indicate there will be ef
forts in 1987 to put a limit on personal injury
lawsuit awards and a limit on attorneys’ fees in
such suits.
“She’s on the take from the insurance lobby,”
Mauzy said recently. “She’s bought their story,
hook, line and sinker ... It could affect her fu
ture decisions when punitive damages are in
volved in a tort law case.”
In a telephone interview from Laredo, Butts
said, “That is entirely untrue. I would never com
ment on how I might rule on any case.
“What I have said is that insurance companies
are pointing fingers at lawyers and reinsurance
companies, and defense lawyers are pointing fin
gers at plaintiffs’ lawyers.
“Everybody is pointing fingers at someone el
se,” Butts said. “I think something should be
done about it. I think it is up to the Legislature to
do what it sees the state needs.”
Mauzy said, “In effect, what she has done is
comment on more than 30,000 cases pending in
the courts of Texas where punitive damages are
asked. There is no doubt in my mimlslif
candidate for the insurance companies.
“She should run for the Legislature
wants to change tort law. It’s up to the!
lature to change the law, not the courts."
Butts said she is not accepting contriW
from groups in the insurance industry.
“I have contributions from both plaintUl
defense attorneys,” she said. “I donotlft
ward either one. I seek to be impartial."
Mauzy saiu most of his contribution!
from long-time backers.
“They have never asked me for a vote
have never made a single promise, andl
to keep it that way,” he said.
The liability insurance crisis and propts
tort reform have received little attention^;
r fiiK
other two Democratic runoff races for thtt
highest court.
Summer
Concert
Sunday Junes
8-10 p.m.
Center Park College Station
featuring
Carl Finney
(Country Western Music)
Sponsored by
C.S. Parks & Recreation Depart.
Art Council of Brazos Valley
Bring your own lawn chair
Free admission
Concessions available
Drawing at intermission for free dinner for
2 at Maxi’s Restaurant
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Spaghetti and Meat Sauct
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$2.99
*Must present this coupon
International House of Pancakes Restaurant
103 N. College Skaggs Center
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