Crash assessments can take a lot of time, but the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Department in Lafayette, Indiana has found that UAS can be very beneficial when it comes to conducting crash site assessments.
Lieutenant Robert Hainje of the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Department says that the department’s methods of using close range photogrammetry with its camera systems that it has in place causes the department to keep the road way closed down while they take photographic evidence.
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement
Colorado Springs Police Department prepares to launch UAS fleet
The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) in Colorado Springs, Colorado is preparing to launch its fleet of UAS.
The department has purchased eight UAS—DJI Mavics, Phantom 4s, and a larger and more expensive Inspire 2—which will be used for everything from documenting accident scenes to finding a fugitive on the run.
One of the Phantom UAS will include an infrared camera for nighttime operations, when officers are most at risk.
Kentucky's Georgetown Police Department finds unique ways to utilize UAS
After purchasing a UAS from Atlanta-based Sky Fire Consulting in April 2017, the Georgetown Police Department (GPD) in Georgetown, Kentucky has found a number of unique use cases for its UAS.
Among those use cases, the UAS has been especially helpful in tracking lost citizens and locating fleeing suspects and stolen vehicles.
The UAS, which shows streets using satellite maps, and is equipped with a camera, was purchased after a large number of vehicle break-ins were being reported. Thus far, it has helped the department detect suspects involved in the crimes.
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office sUAS program recognized for Project Lifesaver program
The Virginia Association of Counties has awarded the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) program with a 2018 Achievement Award as a model local government program.
The LCSO was the first agency in Virginia, and just the sixth in the U.S., to have a small UAS equipped with a Project Lifesaver antenna. The Project Lifesaver program is an electronic-based locating system for people with medical conditions—such as Alzheimer’s disease and autism—who have a tendency to wander from home and get lost.
First responders in Effingham County, Illinois use UAS to find runaway juvenile
First responder departments in Effingham County, Illinois recently used a UAS to find a runaway juvenile.
After the juvenile was spotted entering a cornfield, Fire Chief Joe Holomy flew the UAS above the field, and the youth was spotted and contacted. The juvenile was then retrieved by Effingham County Sheriff's deputies, and taken to a local hospital for observation.
According to Police Chief Jeff Fuesting, the UAS proved to be extremely valuable on this day, as it helped save time and reduced the risk of weather-related injuries to both the juvenile and first responders, since the temperatures outside the cornfield were in the 90s that day.
Rowan County agencies see benefits of using UAS
In Rowan County, North Carolina, the Rowan County Rescue Squad and the North Carolina Highway Patrol are increasingly relying on UAS to respond to various incidents.
Each N.C. Highway Patrol troop has a single UAS to map traffic collisions, while the Rescue Squad is part of a pilot program using its UAS at fires, as well as for search and rescue operations.
The Rowan Rescue Squad received its UAS as part of the pilot program in April 2017, according to Chief Eddie Cress. The squad currently has one certified pilot, a pilot-in-training, and two others who are working on obtaining certification.
Coconino County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Unit hoping to expand its UAS capabilities
In Flagstaff, Arizona, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit's UAS program is approximately two years old.
The agency started its program after purchasing consumer UAS such as the DJI Phantom 4, and currently, there are four people trained to fly UAS, with each having earned a standard FAA Part 107 Drone Pilot License.
Right now, the UAS are mainly used to search for missing people, as they can be deployed to efficiently search open meadows and stretches of desert, which not only saves boots on the ground, but also allows search and rescue supervisors to better use volunteers searching places that are not ideal for UAS, such as under tree canopies.
Mississippi's Vicksburg Police Department set to acquire UAS
The Vicksburg Police Department (VPD) in Vicksburg, Mississippi is primed to acquire a UAS by the close of the fiscal year.
Last week, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen accepted an FAA certificate of authorization that allows the department to fly a UAS at or below 400 feet altitude.
Vicksburg's mayor, George Flaggs Jr., supports the department getting this new piece of technology.
“I think they are absolutely to be commended,” Flaggs Jr. says via the Vicksburg Post. “Anytime they can get another tool that the city of Vicksburg can use to prevent crime and monitor crime that’s absolutely good news.”
Grant County Sheriff's Office UAS program proving successful
In Washington state, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office UAS program will soon expand to include two more UAS that are equipped with FLIR thermal cameras.
The program currently has two UAS, which have been used for a variety of tasks including search and rescue operations, as well as collision investigations.
“We have the capability at night time or even during the day, if somebody’s lost or takes off and runs on us, we will have the ability to find the heat imagery from the person, whether they’re lost or hiding out in a field,” says Chief Deputy Darrik Gregg, who oversees the UAS program, via iFiber One News.
Utah's Lindon Police Department and Orem Fire Department acquire UAS
In Utah County, Utah, the Lindon Police Department and Orem Fire Department recently acquired new UAS.
The UAS, which were acquired thanks to donations from Profire Energy, Inc., are expected to offer the departments a number of capabilities while dealing with various scenarios.
“This will be used for traffic accident investigations as well as other post-event investigations within Utah County, search and rescue and documenting Lindon city property,” says Sergeant Josh Edwards of the Lindon Police Department, via the Daily Herald.