Top 5 Ways Police Departments are Using Drones

Drones have been an imperative technological advancement. Like any tech advancement, there has been pushback due to the nature of privacy. However, along with these concerns, police forces have been finding new and different ways to use drones in their daily missions. Read through these quick pointers to learn more about how police departments are using drones and safer approach through technological advancements.

1. Surveillance of Crime Scenes

Police are using drones to quickly survey crime scenes. Drones are able to get to places where it would usually be more costly or dangerous for humans to venture. Drones are able to scope out higher areas, allowing a greater vantage point for police to survey an area. In the case of an active shooter, drones can be deployed from absolutely anywhere. The drone’s point of view enables offices to see where the shooter is located and the surrounding area. Drones are able to carry HD cameras which will help police enforcement identify where the shooter is without putting officers in harms way.

2. Surveillance Tasks

This higher view allows police to tail a person of interest, or scope out where this person of interest is living and what they may be hiding in or around their home. Police forces are usually required to have a warrant to search someone’s private property. With drones, it’s as easy to fly over someone’s property and snap a few pictures before moving on.

3. Crimes involving drugs

One of the great advantages of drones is their ability to hold things. Drones are able to hold payloads up to 25 pounds, allowing cameras and other pieces of technology to be lifted into the air. Infrared sensors are able to detect hot spots and are used to detect houses where Marijuana is grown. Initially, police would have needed a warrant to go into the home and inspect the scene, potentially putting them at risk of a hostile scene.

4. Search and Rescue

Due to the higher point of view of a drone, police are able to use this perspective, to instantly see more than if they were on the ground. This allows them to search greater areas and distances. Even if drones are not being used for something as grand as a search and rescue in a natural or man made disaster, drones can prove to be extremely useful in smaller situations such as a small child lost in an amusement park. The many uses for drones search and rescue are incredible and are extremely beneficial to finding people quicker.

5. Crowd Monitoring

Monitoring a huge event like a concert or sporting event can prove to be expensive and require tons of police force. Drones and the cameras they carry have the ability to harrow in on areas of interest, giving police forces the ability to assess a threat without actually putting themselves in harms way.