North Texas Police Department Gets Eyes in the Sky via Drones

There has been an increase in the number of North Texas cops trained to fly Drones. Small planes have numerous public safety benefits, but having so many new police eyes in the sky raises privacy concerns. At the Arlington Police Department, Lt. Neal Landfield oversees and 22 other officers who have been trained to utilize them. Landfield stated that the department could not simply go about snooping with Drones.

“We don’t use Drones to generate probable cause. We go where a police officer has permission to go already,” Landfield said. For example, an Arlington drone’s infrared camera recently assisted police in determining that a wanted guy on a roof was unarmed. The result was a calm surrender. can be used to look for armed individuals in limited locations such as attics, where cops have previously gone.

The officer’s head would be the first thing the evil man would see. But now we can fly these small  into dark attics and show them the $500 toy drone, Landfield explained. In addition, Drones can be launched swiftly to assist in searching and rescuing those stranded due to storm damage. He claimed that  were significantly less expensive than helicopters and that police training necessitated precautions against unauthorized entry. According to a Dallas police press conference this week, the agency has trained five officers to fly and expects to hire more.

A public information initiative to explain the expanding use of Drones is planned, according to the briefing.can be purchased and flown by individuals. However, police use of the devices requires more thorough training and certification. When appropriately utilized and legally, a drone may provide a lot of value. Arlington police, according to Landfield, plan to train eight more officers to pilot so that the devices, which are now available in each of the city’s four patrol divisions, can be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week.