Wheat Ridge, Colorado – Police in Colorado are finding new ways to solve crimes using drones.
The Wheat Ridge Police Department said since adopting the drone in April, it has been able to respond to a variety of 911 calls using it almost daily.
Police Department spokesman Alex Rose said the department is excited about the drones’ capabilities, including keeping officers safe.
One Colorado police department says it’s simply pushing the limits of drone capabilities.
“Every day there’s a new opportunity for our department to see how far we can take this technology,” Rose said.
Rose said the police department is pushing the limits of drone capabilities, with a team of about 10 officers being trained in how to use them.
If they decide to fly a drone over an area, officers can use a GPS tracking system to see where the drone was launched from and a live image of where it is flying.
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Wheat Ridge Police Sergeant John Bowman, drone course director, said the department’s drones also have zoom capabilities.
Image taken by Wheat Ridge Police drone. (Wheat Ridge Police Department)
“It takes a lot of practice, a lot of patience and a lot of repetition, but these camera systems and operating systems cover a lot of ground,” Bowman said.
The Sheriff’s Office said a drone recently captured footage of someone breaking into an apartment building. A maintenance worker called the Sheriff’s Office in June to say he saw an intruder inside the apartment. Instead of dispatching officers, the department sent out a drone.
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After obtaining the warrant, the drone entered the home to investigate. Rose said the drone found a dog and a person asleep in a closet. The person was arrested and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
Wheat Ridge Police say they are training several officers on how to use drone technology. (Wheat Ridge Police Department)
Wheat Ridge police said drones also help with car crash investigations and monitoring large crowds at festivals and other events.
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Dr. Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said some cities have very strict rules about how and when police can use drones, but other cities around the country have no regulations.
“This is a big concern because right now the courts are very divided on whether police can fly a drone over your home or your property, for example, with or without a warrant,” Guariglia said.
Wheat Ridge police said they had to check with the district attorney before flying the drone, and that at least 20 police departments in Colorado use drones.
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“Because this is new technology, we’re always looking at what other departments are doing. Is there case law in this area or in other jurisdictions,” Rose said.
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Wheat Ridge is a western suburb of Denver.
Police in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, say drones help solve crimes almost daily.
