As technology advances, it typically does so in all areas of life – including of course Law Enforcement. Among one of the most recent advances is the use of small unmanned aerial vehicles, referred to as sUAV’s – or more commonly Police Drones.
In January of 2020 Chief Smith came to the Police Foundation with a request for funding of an arial drone. In his presentation he cited five major uses of the drone by the Juno Beach Police Department.
~ Search and Rescue operations for missing persons, especially for children and persons with special needs
~ Locating suspecte in the commission of a crime or suspected criminals attempting escape
~ Monitoring of major events for the safety of the attendees
~ Facilitating the setup and staging of large events
~ Assisting other Law Enforcement agencies with mutual aid upon request
The application of drones equipped with optical, zoom, and thermal cameras allow law enforcement agencies to be more effective and to have a better vantage point during times of chaotic situations where deploying ground personnel is too risky.
The Juno Beach Police Foundation was quick to repond to the Chief’s request and funded the purchase of a DJI Matrice Drone with a 30X camera and a Zenmuse XT2 thermal imaging camera. Both are state of the art in the industry.
The Drone went into operation as soon as received and three Officers are now trained and certified by the FAA to fly.