Albany County (NY) Sheriff's Office Launches Drone Program

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From the June 1st edition of Albany Times Union:

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With the possibility that rock climbing may eventually be permitted on the sheer limestone cliffs that plummet below Thacher State Park, it was as good a place as any to demonstrate what the Albany County Sheriff's Office has in mind for its new pair of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.

"We can cover a lot of ground," Sheriff Craig Apple said, minutes before one of the department's three certified pilots, Lee Borman, launched the drone, which is about the size of a beach ball and equipped with four rotors and an airframe that can carry a camera and a mechanical hand.

Borman demonstrated how the drone could carry a rescue rope over the 100-foot cliffs just yards away.

Or, using an infrared sensor, it could spot a lost hiker and drop a phone, water bottle or radio to the person, as rescuers use the onboard GPS software to pinpoint a location.

The drones can also be valuable in winter if someone falls through ice in a lake or other body of water. Rather than having rescuers risk falling through the ice, a drone can fly a rescue line out from the safety of the shoreline.

Drones also can hover over burning buildings to help see where there are hot spots or people who may be trapped, and they can dip into hazardous material spills with sensors to see if any toxins have been released.

They can be equipped with radiation detectors as well.

"You can only do so much with a chopper,'' said Apple, adding that the drones can provide assistance that keeps rescuers out of harm's way.

But the drones are not equipped with weapons.

Apple stressed their use as crime-fighting tools has limits, due to the evolving nature of case law regarding the legal use of a drone in a criminal investigation.

If police want to use a drone to view a criminal suspect's property, for example, they may need a search warrant because of the invasive spying capabilities of the devices.

"Case law is going to determine that down the road,'' Apple said. "There are a lot of legal grounds that will have to be tested in years to come."

Still, Apple didn't rule out their use in criminal cases and said he could see the drones being useful in situations in which someone may barricade themselves in a structure or used traps intended to harm someone.

Drones can also scan large crowds and keep an eye out for potential problems or disturbances.

The sheriff's office has also flown drones over the Albany County jail, but they need special permission from the FAA since the facility is so close to the Albany International Airport – an area that is generally off limits to drones.

Another possible use is helping to recreate auto accident scenes from an aerial vantage point, said Edward Capovani, a Scotia-based consultant who was at Wednesday's demonstration.

The drones aren't overly expensive – the DJI Inspire 1 used by the sheriff's office, a model also popular among hobbyists and photographers, lists for less than $2,000. But accessories including chemical sensors, high-resolution or infrared cameras, as well as GPS mapping gear, can raise costs to near $20,000. Apple said their department is outfitting the drones with seized criminal assets.

He noted the cost is still a fraction of the $1,000-plus per hour it can cost to keep a helicopter in the air.

The sheriff's office is one of several law enforcement agencies flying drones these days.

In May, several local and state agencies attended a Homeland Security training session in Oneida County and one of the exercises included using drones in a mock manhunt through a forest.

A week ago, State Park Police and sheriff's deputies from Livingston County used a drone to help find a dog that was stuck halfway down the 400-foot-deep Letchworth State Park gorge.

The drone was able to pinpoint the dog's location and a parks' officer was then lowered by rope to retrieve the canine.

At Wednesday's demonstration, officials from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision as well as State Police attended along with representatives from the state parks and environmental conservation departments.

Also on the scene was Emily Barrett, from the University at Albany's College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland and Cyber Security.

The school, which has attracted hundreds of students who want to learn about disaster response and security, is looking at developing courses in the use of drones, she said.

Thacher Park has been the scene of several drone flights recently. The park has undergone renovations with a new visitors center and there are plans to possibly open rock climbing routes on the cliffs, which are known as the Helderberg Escarpment.

It wasn't immediately clear when the climbing might be allowed.

The drones aren't totally foolproof, and they can't always outwit Mother Nature.

Apple said another agency was recently testing one at Thacher Park when a hawk swooped down and brought the machine to the ground. The drone came though relatively unscathed since, presumably, the raptor quickly realized it wasn't edible and lost interest, he added.
 
the raptor quickly realized it wasn't edible and lost interest, he added.
MMMMMMM! Tasty!
Wonder if there is some kind of deterrent that can be added to the quad? Paint? Painted pattern? A color that is a deterrent?
Jet engines have a spiral painted on the center spinner for bird deterrent... wonder is something like that would work?
 
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