The Rochester Police Department in Rochester, Minnesota, has demonstrated its new UAS, which is a Lockheed Martin-manufactured Indago UAS that can fly 55 minutes, and is capable of flying in inclement weather.

The Indago UAS will be used as a part of the Project Lifesaver program, which is designed to “respond quickly to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer's, autism and other related conditions or disorders,” according to the Post Bulletin.

Through the program, when clients wander, a transmitter that they are wearing is activated. 

According to Officer Rey Caban, using an antenna on the UAS “will pick up the radio frequency (of the transmitter),” which allows personnel to see the direction that the signal is coming from, and use the UAS to get a stronger signal by moving closer and closer, so that they can send a ground unit to the specific location to conduct a rescue.

“Other agencies have drones but nobody else has the equipment we have, specifically, the Project Lifesaver technology,” Caban says.

Caban, who spent nearly two years researching the possibility of bringing a UAS to the police department, points to scenarios he experienced while working in law enforcement as influencers on his decision to lobby for the technology for the department.  

“I've had several different incidents in Rochester where I've requested some kind of aviation support from the (Minnesota State Patrol) to come down and help out,” he says. Oftentimes in those instances, Caban was told that a helicopter was out of position.

To have this technology at the department’s disposal now, though, is something that greatly pleases Caban.

“I'm excited to have this,” he says, “to potentially save a life — and not just to save the life of someone in immediate danger, but to save officers from confronting an unknown.”

“It'll take away a lot of stress.”