SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — Patrolling the streets in police cars has been a staple of law enforcement for more than a century but now, more agencies are able to patrol and do other police work in the air, using drones.
The South Jordan Police Department is just one of several Utah agencies harnessing the power of drones.
They say it's a piece of technology that is here to stay.
“It’s shaping the way we conduct law-enforcement operations as a whole," explained Sgt. Zachary Gee with the South Jordan Police Department. "And it’s something we need to embrace and take in and be a part of.”
Gee oversees a fleet of more than a half dozen drones for his department.
Their largest drone can stay airborne for well over an hour and has a high-definition video camera that, at night, can switch over to a thermal imaging system.
"I had no idea what a drone was when I started law enforcement," Gee said. "I didn’t think that this is where we would be today. I sure am glad that we‘re here today but this is not what I envisioned my law enforcement career looking like, that’s for sure.”
Gee quickly saw the benefits of drones, especially in a city growing as fast as South Jordan.
“Missing persons, accident reconstruction, we use this for tactical operations," he explained. "We’re using this for large, public safety, gatherings to help monitor and make sure the event is safe for everyone.”
In law enforcement, drones are known as a "force multiplier."
“We can put a drone up where, you know, we may need 15 officers, we now need five and we can search an area that will take us hours and half the time by using drones," Gee remarked.
While police have conducted operations using radios and telephones for decades, a drone can actually help officers see what’s going on, allowing them to make better decisions.
"We are only putting these up for calls for services or very specific types of incidents," Gee explained. “We’re trying to make sure we‘re innovating and being progressive in finding better ways to make our residents' tax dollars go further.”
Police officers aren't the only ones who are using drones in South Jordan as the city's engineering department is also using the technology to reduce surveying costs.
