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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is testing a Draganflyer to hover over crash sites and crime scenes to take photos or beam video back to officers on the ground. The remote-controlled unmanned aircraft should help crash analysts get better, faster images to reconstruct what happened.
RCMP Inspctor Norm Gaumont, head of traffic services in the Lower Mainland said that it will allow police to reopen roads to traffic faster after crashes than when a helicopter has to be called in. “Sometimes we absolutely need an aerial shot of the scene and we keep the road shut down longer than we need to,” Gaumont said. “This fits in a suitcase and we can have it flying in minutes.”
The Draganflyer X6 – built by a Saskatoon firm – costs $30,000, weighs just one kilogram and can carry either a digital still camera or a high-definition video camera. Officers are permitted to fly it at altitudes of up to 175 feet and at speeds of up to 30 kilometres per hour. The lower altitude means it can also get much more detailed images than helicopters. An officer on the ground can wear video goggles and see what the drone sees.
“There are a lot of potential uses for this technology but it will not be used for any type of surveillance,” Gaumont said.
Similar aircraft are already used by police in Saskatchewan and Ontario. Gaumont said the RCMP here will test the unit for one year before deciding whether to buy one.
Source: Agassiz Harrison Observer