Law enforcement is often the first category of people who use technology to improve their service delivery. It is not surprising to find police using drones as part of their standard tools. Drones can help transform police work in so many ways.
Why Do Police Use Drones?
Are you wondering why police are quickly transitioning into using drones? Drones are quite useful, from simple activities such as surveillance and traffic control to highly technical duties like SWAT operations.
The work of a police officer is essential to a community, and that is why police officers need the best police drones for their work.
Here are 11 of the most common uses of police drones in law enforcement.
- Monitoring Traffic
Through traffic cams and traffic lights, technology has been instrumental in helping the police monitor traffic closely. However, police may need to take a more proactive approach at times.
Drones can help the police spot situations where traffic is moving slowly for them to intervene. By observing traffic patterns, police can monitor congested areas and advise drivers to avoid such areas.
- Search And Rescue Operations
Search and rescue operations are quite common in the US. Statistics indicate that every year, the police conduct at least 100,000 search and rescue operations. Drones help the police perform search and rescue operations faster to reduce any possible injuries and loss of life.
For example, drones help the police get a visual on regions they can’t enter physically. Specialized drones with thermal imagery help the police evaluate the situation in buildings with possible hostages where visibility is limited.
- Crowd Control And Surveillance
Monitoring a crowd can be hard for police, especially when the police are outnumbered. In such situations, it can be hard to evaluate the possibility of the crowd getting out of hand and becoming violent.
Drones help the police monitor crowds for potential threats. In doing so, they can mitigate the likelihood of the threat escalating into an unmanageable situation, especially during protests.
- Maintaining Perimeter Security
At times, the police may have a duty to maintain the perimeter security of a certain individual or premise. Drones can help the police keep a close eye on the perimeter to ensure that no security breaches could occur.
- Collecting Evidence In Crime Scene Investigations
Crime scene investigation is critical in collecting evidence for crimes and other security hazards. At times, it might be hard for police officers to evaluate the crime scene on foot. Drones come in handy to provide a wider field of view which can help the police collect all the evidence they need.
- SWAT And Tactical Operations
SWAT and other tactical operations are critical safety operations. In many instances, SWAT is involved when the situation has escalated beyond the capabilities of the regular police.
Once SWAT officers are involved, they must have a good view of the entire situation from all angles.
Drones can help the police gather all the intelligence they need for the investigation. Such information will then help them plan intervention measures through close monitoring.
- Disaster and Emergency Response
While natural disasters are not common in the US, they can lead to extensive loss of life and property. Once a natural disaster or an emergency occurs, the police need to monitor the situation to know who needs help and how to intervene.
Police officers and other emergency response teams would have to use helicopters to find such details in the past. As you might expect, the costs of running a manned helicopter are quite high. Drones can help the police evaluate the situation from a safe distance and coordinate rescue and relief operations efficiently.
- Reconstructing A Crime Scene
The police need to reconstruct the crime scene to get a clearer visual impression of the scene when conducting investigations. Using drones is beneficial in crime scene reconstruction by getting a bird’s eye view of the crime scene.
This can help the police to reconstruct the scene for further insight.
- Community Engagement
Drones are instrumental in community engagement, and corporate training can enhance their impact. Community policing emphasises security enhancement. When police utilise drones, they foster closer engagement with the community. Corporate trainings provide essential skills and knowledge for effective drone usage. This enhances community trust, transparency, and safety. Drones enable police to address community concerns, monitor events, conduct search and rescue, and gather critical crime data.
- Police Training And Simulation
Drones are essential tools in training police officers to be more efficient in their work. They can help prepare the police for various security incidents like hostage or terror alerts.
Police trainers can use drones in a controlled setting to help simulate risky situations in a safe environment.
- General Community Security
While many police officers have a duty to investigate crimes before they occur, they also need to create an atmosphere that discourages crime.
Police officers can use drones to help prevent crimes through surveillance. They should, however, avoid violating the privacy rights of the citizens when doing so. Proper training can be beneficial in this regard.
Final Thoughts
Police officers are now using drones to help improve their service delivery to the public through a variety of ways. As drones become more popular in the police service, different jurisdictions should take time to train their personnel on how to use them effectively.
That way, the police will be in a position to harness the full potential of their drones.