Law-enforcement technologyFAA gives Arlington, Texas police permission to use UAVs
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given the Arlington (Texas) Police Department permission to use two small helicopter UAVs. The FAA did lay out a set of rules for the police department to follow when using the drones.
Arlington police test UAV in a designated testing area // Source: ozzmoe.com
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given the Arlington (Texas) Police Department permission to use two small helicopter UAVs. The FAA did lay out a set of rules for the police department to follow when using the drones.
Gizmagreports that the drones must be flown in the daytime, under 400 feet, in sight of the operator at all times, and a safety observer must be in contact with the control tower at Dallas-Fort Worth airport.
The drone being used by the department is the Leptron Avenger, designed by Leptron Industrial Helicopters. The drone is about five feet long and can stay in the air for about an hour. The Arlington Police originally purchased the drone with a DHS grant to provide extra security during the Super Bowl held at Cowboys Stadium in 2011.
According to Sergeant Christopher Cook, a representative of the Arlington Police department, the drones will only be used in situations in which a traditional manned helicopter would be used, and the drones will not be used for police pursuits or traffic enforcement. The drone could be used to take crime scene photos from above or in the search for a missing person.
“We basically have permission to operate our small helicopter program in certain areas of the City, generally south of Interstate Highway 30, once a clearly defined incident perimeter has been established,” Gizmag quotes Sergeant Cook to say. “We are working with our local airports which have airspace within the confines of the City of Arlington to create letters of agreement so there will be a seamless transition once a decision is made to deploy the equipment.”
More than eighty police departments around the country have applied to the FAA for permission to fly drones. Lawmakers in many are debating the issue of drone use by the police, with privacy rights organizations calling for state legislatures to impose restrictions on drone use.
Drones can be used for surveillance purposes, , and can also be used in search and rescue missions, to determine the severity of a fire, as well as search for missing or kidnapped people in heavily wooded areas. Drone are currently being used by scientists to get a better look at natural disasters such as tornados and hurricanes.
