Earlier this week, two members of the Halton Regional Police Service were bestowed with a prestigious award during the 2013 International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in Philadelphia.
The “Excellence in Police Aviation” award, sponsored by Bell Helicopter, was accepted by Detective Dave Banks and Constable Andrew Olesen for their efforts in the concept, research, formation and operation of a small Unmanned Aircraft System programme for the police service. Halton has been using an Aeryon Labs small UAS since 2009 following the establishment of a partnership with the University of Toronto – Forensic Science Program and Waterloo Company, Aeryon Labs Inc.
The initial pilot project involved over 200 hours of research and was funded through a grant from the Canadian Police Research Centre – Defence Research Development Canada.
Use of the UAS has resulted in improved efficiencies for the Police Service and the enhancement of service delivery in a multitude of scenarios, including: search and rescue, crime scene forensics, traffic collision reconstruction and marine operations.
The unit is not used for surveillance and can only be operated in accordance with current legislation and strict Transport Canada Regulations.
Halton Region is the safest place to live in the GTA, and one of the top five safest places to live in Canada, according to a Maclean’s Magazine report ranking the most dangerous cities in Canada.
Photo: Constable Andrew Olesen (left) and Detective Dave Banks (right)