SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -24/7, the Schenectady Police drone is on standby, ready to rise from its “nest” and respond to the city’s needs as calls come in. The drone has officially been on the job for 30 days.
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“We’ve done probably well over about 500 calls of service. We’re doing about three calls to every one with respect to what a normal police officer can do,” said Lieutenant Michael D. McLaughlin.
Some calls, like quality of life and loud noise complaints, the drone can handle on its own with a police officer controlling it from the command center. Other calls, like criminal pursuits, officers have a camera in the sky to help them track suspects quicker than ever.
“For some, it’s been very well received because it’s very futuristic. For others, I think it’s a bit of a shock to have something that’s flying and talking to you or flying and diagnosing what’s going on in the street or on the call,” described Lieutenant McLaughlin. “Officers are now asking and in some cases demanding to have the overwatch of the drone. To have the drone as a resource is a game changer.”
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Just last Thursday, the drone helped officers find a missing child in Bellevue Park. “We were able to fly the drone from the station, arrive on the scene in two minutes and then immediately start checking large, wooded areas and be able to narrow it down at probably ten times or multiple times faster because of the fact that we’re able to hover over the whole entire area, the whole entire park and look for heat signatures as opposed to manually checking it and physically walking through in a straight line which would take ten or fifteen police officers,” explained Lieutenant McLaughlin…