The Pueblo Police Department is launching a new drone program to help save lives. They say the technology will allow them to do more in the field and make the community safer.
Pueblo Police have purchased 2 drones and tell us this new equipment is very valuable. It will be used for a wide range of work including finding suspects quicker, searching for missing people and even locating the homeless.
Thanks to these new drones officers will be able to approach suspects in a safer and quicker manner. In the case of a possible drowning, it will also allow them to quickly search the water. However, each officer will have to complete a training program on how to properly fly these drones.
With all its equipment just one of them costs almost $20,000, but Pueblo Police tell us the advantages far outweigh the cost.
"Whether it’s trying to locate someone in distress in our river, whether it’s trying to locate someone that fled from our officers in a foot chase, all of those things that extra added altitude to be able to look down at the scene using the technology like thermal camera’s its absolutely vital to what were trying to do," said Deputy of Chief Operations with the Pueblo Police Department Chris Noeller.
Pueblo Police can’t fly the drones over 400 feet or at night. However, if they need to they can contact the FAA to request permission.
Over the past couple weeks they’ve been busy training officers, and making some repairs to the drones. Pueblo Police say they’re moving as fast as they can and will get the program up and running as soon as possible.
