Police and other public safety personnel are not immune to the threat of COVID-19. Officers and troopers around the country have tested positive for the illness that results from exposure to the highly contagious novel coronavirus.
On top of what they normally do, police in many communities now must also enforce stay-at-home decrees and break up large groups that congregate and fail to maintain 6-foot social distancing recommendations. Drones help to keep police safe while police keep the public safe by reducing their exposure during the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control recommend that police department supervisors follow the CDC recommendations for businesses and employers. But law enforcement experiences circumstances that increase exposure and drones can mitigate it.
Properly equipped drones can help police:
- Inspect expansive areas where people might congregate in violation of public health guidelines
- Observe people and communicate with them from a safe distance
- Disperse crowds
Aerial Inspection
Using a handheld remote controller, an officer can fly a drone along trails and exercise paths into park greenways and over boating docks or beaches without having to walk each area. A Mavic 2 Enterprise or Matrice 200 Series V2 will fly nearly 5 miles under complete control and the Matrice 600 Pro, 3.1 miles. All transmit live video that’s displayed on a smartphone or tablet attached to the controller or on a controller with built-in display. The video can also be recorded. All three are available with night vision, daytime lenses and with telephoto lenses.
Surveillance or inspection missions are easily programmed before a flight begins. GPS displays a map allowing the officer to draw the route or designate the area they want to patrol with the drone establishing the route. Global positioning makes routes highly accurate.
Takeoff and landing are vertical and one-button automatic. Extended flight times keep a drone aloft for up to 25 minutes on one-battery charge. To get a drone back in the air quickly after a battery swap, extra batteries are available. Available charging hubs can replenish multiple batteries.
The Mavic 2 Enterprise is especially useful for a single officer because it folds for storage and transport and weighs about the same as a loaded sidearm.
Communication and Dispersal
During a pandemic, reduced contact with people means reduced exposure to pathogens. Drones hold contact to a minimum while maintaining communication with the public.
Live video displays a crowd and auxiliary loudspeakers enable police to remain miles away when they order a crowd to disband, practice social distancing or move to another area. Drones also can spot a person in distress and enable an officer to ensure him that help is on the way.
An onscreen display supplies accurate GPS coordinates of a crowd, if backup is needed or of a victim if an ambulance responds.
To help police monitor a situation, drones hover on command.
Devices for Inspection and Dispersal
- DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise or Enterprise Dual Quadcopter
- DJI Matrice 200 V2 Quadcopter
- DJI Matrice 600 Pro Hexacopter
- Extra Intelligent Flight Batteries
- Intelligent Battery Hub
- M2E Speaker for Mavic Enterprise
- Auxiliary Spotlight and Beacon for Mavic Enterprise
- Speaker with Independent Connection for Matrice 200 V2
- PSDK Speaker for Matrice 200 V2
- High-Powered Speaker for Matrice 600 Pro
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