DENVER (KDVR) — Drones: It seems their uses are nearly endless, and the Lakewood Police Department is now using the technology to respond to some calls for service.
The police department recorded a video message that was posted to social media channels on Tuesday, introducing the program. Lakewood Police Chief Philip Smith said the technology is still in the testing phase, but “is showing great promise towards the goal of augmenting our already efficient Lakewood police response to service calls.”
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TJ Jacobson, sergeant of the Real-Time Crime Center and Technology Unit for Lakewood police, shared more specific details about the program, which he said has been in a pilot phase for about three months.
“When we receive a citizen-generated call for service, the drone will often arrive before or in conjunction with our agents on the ground, providing an early assessment of the scene,” Jacobson said in the Lakewood police video. “This provides our agents with real-time situational updates before they arrive on scene. While on a call, the drone will provide continuous coverage within the city to support law enforcement. This keeps our agents safer, while also providing an eye in the sky to assist in the apprehension of criminals.”
Jacobson added that the drones can also support de-escalation work, large city events through crowd and traffic monitoring, and assist in locating suspects, signs of fire and missing people…