FOCUS Thermal Imaging Drones Obviously, a drone isn’t going to replace a helicopter any-
time soon for many reasons; endurance and range being key among them. The average multirotor drone will only stay in the air around 20 minutes before needing a fresh battery, and current regulations commonly require the aircraft to be fl own within view of the operator, so the operational concepts for each type of craft are necessarily different. Granted, battery technology and aircraft designs are ad- vancing every day, so those limitations may soon be a thing of the past, but it’s safe to say that drones aren’t going to be replacing helicopters for long-range patrol or high-speed chase missions anytime soon. That is not to say that multirotor drones can’t be of tre- mendous benefi t to offi cers and the communities they serve. In fact, many in the law enforcement community foresee a day in which specially trained offi cers will carry ready-to-fl y (RTF) kits with them on patrol and be deployed as needed, more operationally similar to K9 units than full-scale Avia- tion units. Imaging drones can help maintain continuous surveillance
over sensitive areas and help maintain perimeters around crime scenes or even a hostage situation. Camera drones can capture real-time intelligence of dynamic scenes and provide offi cers with video through wireless video link to smart- phones and other mobile devices, allowing offi cers to stay safe and commanders to formulate the best plan of advance. Camera drones are also currently being used to document
crime and accident scenes by recording high-defi nition video evidence from a unique perspective that not only captures the elements of a scene, but their relative distance from one another as well. Many smaller agencies with budgets that do not allow for
an airplane or helicopter aviation unit are using drones in conjunction with other local agencies like fi re departments to share the acquisition costs and further prove the utility of the program. Public-safety drone operations with thermal cameras on board have proven themselves to be valuable as- sets by helping incident commanders keep track of their per- sonnel through smoke at active fi re scenes, as well as during HazMat operations. In the case of HazMat response, thermal cameras are very
effective not only at spotting small leaks of dangerous ma- terials, but also at showing operators how full tanks and container cars are of toxic fl uids when crews are assessing possible damage and threat levels. Of course, search and rescue (SAR) operations are a perfect
use for the combination of small, easily deployed drones and thermal cameras. Because of their ability to detect extremely small temperature differences, thermal cameras are equally adept at fi nding people lost in the woods or victims thrown clear of a traffi c accident. In fact, the fi rst recorded life to be saved with a thermal imaging drone was an incident that happened in May 2013 when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police used their FLIR Tau-equipped drone to fi nd a man who had been ejected from his vehicle during a rollover accident. Disoriented, the victim wandered away from the accident site and was spotted by the drone before he could succumb to his injuries.
22 LAW and ORDER I May 2016
Drones with thermal cameras support fire departments.
Drones with thermal cameras can help find people lost in remote locations.
Conclusion Drones are going to become a standard piece of law enforce- ment gear in very short order. So when you are looking to add this capability to your department’s fl eet, arm yourself with some basic information about the options that are out there fi rst, and never forget that high-tech imaging capabili- ties like FLIR aren’t just for helicopters. They will serve you well on drones as well.
David Lee is a drone pilot, licensed Airline Transport Pilot, and certifi ed Thermographer, working with infrared technology for nearly 20 years.
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