Faculty Feature: Law Enforcement and Drones

By Steve Miko

Law enforcement technology has made many important advances in recent years including tasers, body cameras, and touch DNA processing.  One piece of technology that has gained a lot of traction is the use of drones.

Employing drones offers police departments a cost-effective alternative to helicopters and planes, and the training time for a drone pilot is a fraction of what it takes for other types of traditional pilots.  

Drones are incredibly versatile and can be used for monitoring large events, intelligence gathering, delivering medical supplies, and search and rescue.  Drones were recently used to locate an elderly dementia patient who had wandered away from his home in Pennsylvania.  The man was located in the middle of a corn field within 25 minutes of the drone being launched!    

They can also be used in dangerous situations where a person may be barricaded in home.  A skilled drone pilot can fly a drone into the residence and communicate safely with the person without exposing the police to potential harm.  Remote controlled robots were previously used for these types of situations.  One insider recently said drones can be a great alternative to robots which, “get caught on everything”.  There will undoubtedly be future advances in drone technology and there are already drones that are equipped with heat sensing and night vision cameras. 

The SVCC Criminal Investigations class recently visited a drone class on campus and observed this technology in action.  The students were taught about how drones also aid the agricultural industry.    

Drones are likely to become a welcome tool in the growing toolbox of law enforcement for years to come.