Police Seek Eyes in the Skies, Train Sights on FAA – CQ Homeland Security
In the realm of drone aircraft, the DraganFlyer X6 is a half-pint. At just 2 pounds, the skeletal, six-rotor helicopter can fold up to fit inside a mailing tube and would resemble a hobbyist’s toy if it weren’t for the vibration-free surveillance-camera mount slung under its belly.
But for the sheriff’s department that patrols the mountainous terrain of Mesa County, Colo., the little black drone provides a search-and-rescue capability they couldn’t otherwise afford.
“We haven’t even come close to exploring its full potential,” said Benjamin Miller, the department’s manager of unmanned aerial systems. For the police, remote-control surveillance aircraft are going to become “as big as the Taser,” he said.
That is, if they’re ever allowed to use them.
