The Frederickstopia AutoChalk vehicle drove onto a Caroline Street sidewalk this past Saturday, striking 5 people. Two people died instantly and a third passed away some hours later in the hospital due to injuries sustained from the accident. The other two victims are expected to recover from minor injuries.
The AutoChalk vehicle, purchased by the Frederickstopia Police Department in July of 2007, is used to electronically monitor parking violations. The vehicle, normally operated by Parking Enforcement Officer Tod Runyon, was placed on auto-pilot shortly before striking the pedestrians.
"Apparently, the auto-pilot feature was not yet operational," said Runyon, "The manufacturer said something about a firmware upgrade that isn't available yet."
This isn't the first time the AutoChalk system has been the center of controversy. The vehicle made headlines in January of 2008 when it issued itself a ticket for double-parking outside of Hyperion. Some felt it was an honorable act while others argued that it was a mere publicity stunt.
According to police spokesperson Natatia Bledsoe, the vehicle, affectionately called RoboCop around the office, will be put on paid leave while the incident is investigated.
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I want to assure your readers that the resignation of Parking Enforcement Officer Tod Runyon from the police department, as reported in his commentary in today's FLS, had nothing whatsoever to do with the alleged incident reported in this blog. Purely an unfortunate *coincidence*. ;)
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