SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's transportation system that runs on rails and buses now has the capacity to have eyes in the sky and officers hope they'll be better able to monitor situations and keep riders safe.
The fleet, composed of three aircraft and a dozen officers trained as drone pilots, will help cover the more than 1,400 square miles that UTA has jurisdiction of.
Monitoring big crowds and trespassers, more quickly responding to accidents and helping those who may harm themselves are just a few things the drones are tasked with.
As UTA covers hundreds of square miles of land across Utah, there are some fairly remote sections of rails, particularly in the Wasatch Front. It can be a challenge to patrol some areas with officers alone, so that's why the police department recently invested in a drone squad.
“When we started running into problems, getting to trespassers and people that may be, unfortunately, would want to take their lives on our rail system," explained Lt. Todd Hewitt with the UTA Police Department. "And they get out in areas that are very difficult for officers to just roll up in a patrol car.”
The drones will also come in handy during large-scale events.
“Like the All-Star game or general conference, the airshow up in Davis County, the Lehi rodeo, that draw a lot of people to our rail system," Hewitt said. "And what happens is, people are waiting for the trains and it gets overcrowded, we do get a lot of spillover where people will get into the rail alignment.”
High-definition cameras give crystal clear visuals during the day while thermal imaging capability gives officers the ability to see in the dark. They also come equipped with speakers to relay messages to those on the ground.
"Actually give messages out over the speaker, ‘Hey, stay out of the alignment,' or, ‘Please move back to the sidewalk because there is a train approaching,'" Hewitt explained. "In cases where we think somebody might be trying to end their life, we can actually fly the drone over them and let them know the trains have been stopped in the area, that help is on the way and prevent that from happening.”
And when accidents or incidents do occur and the trains are stopped, the drones will help investigators analyze and diagram a scene much more quickly in order to get the trains back on track as soon as possible.
Overall, UTA hopes this new, modern tool will help riders feel more safe knowing there are eyes in the skies helping to keep public transportation moving each and every day.
