North Louisiana Sheriff’s Office Deploys “DRONE PATROL”

Drones Staff April 19, 2017 Bonus Content

By Lt. Bill Davis, Public Information Officer

Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office

“Finding Lost Children, Searching for Suspects or Helping During Disasters…Having a Birds-Eye View is Invaluable” – Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington

Recent graduates of the Bossier Sheriff’s Office UAV school on March 24. (l-r) Lt. Will Cox, instructor; Graduates Dep. Tommy Burton, Dep. Steve Dooley, Dep. Mike Lombardino and Dep. Kelly Downey; and Capt. Donnie Keith, instructor. The Bossier Sheriff’s Office UAS team now consists of 10 deputies who have been trained as both pilots and observers.

When an EF2 tornado ripped through the outskirts of Plain Dealing in northwest Louisiana in January 2017, a Bossier Sheriff’s Office deputy deployed a drone to survey the damage from the air in order to best help residents, even aiding in providing the National Weather Service information on the tornado’s impact and path. Drone video of that tornado damage HERE. https://youtu.be/YKWBxAOxuo4.

In March 2017, when three teenage runaways were hiding in the woods at nighttime off of Highway 80 in Princeton in the eastern part of the parish, a Bossier deputy deployed a drone using thermal imaging, and within a minute of launch, he located the three teens. Drone video of locating teens in the woods HERE.

Capt. Donnie Keith (left) and Lt. Will Cox instruct Dep. Steve Dooley on proper drone operation during training March 24. The use of drones are providing an invaluable tool for law enforcement, technology that Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington has embraced because of its impact on public safety.

The use of drones, known as unmanned aerial vehicles or systems (UAVs/UASs), are providing an invaluable tool for law enforcement, technology that Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington has embraced because of its impact on public safety.

“Having these drones is a priority,” said Sheriff Whittington. “When we have the ability to launch a drone and quickly survey damage from a natural disaster or immediately locate people like we did with those teens hiding in the woods at night, that’s a success. Our next case might be finding a lost child, looking for an elderly person who has wandered off, or searching for an armed robbery suspect. It’s our commitment to public safety, and having deputies properly trained with these drones to quickly respond to such a need at any time is crucial.”

Dep. Tommy Burton (left) and Dep. Kelly Downey join Lt. Will Cox, drone instructor, as they prepare for another training session with the DJI Matrice 100.

A couple of years ago, Lt. Will Cox approached Sheriff Whittington about developing the UAS program for the Bossier Sheriff’s Office. During the historic flooding of 2015 and 2016 in Bossier Parish, the Sheriff’s Office relied on aircraft, both rotary and fixed wing, to provide aerial support for photos, videos and observation. Such assets can become quite expensive, and their availability might be an hour or more away…if they are even available at all. Some individuals were using their personal drones to provide aerial support, but the Sheriff’s Office did not have a fully-functioning UAS program that could be deployed at any time in just about any situation. That was about to change.

Lt. Will Cox (right) and Capt. Donnie Keith assist Dep. Mike Lombardino as he maneuvers a drone that is no longer visible by sight, except by the monitor. The scenario called for the operator to fly the drone to a nearby wooded area and read the license plate that is on the ground hundreds of yards away.

“In law enforcement, it’s best to have tools available to fit all needs that may arise,” said Lt. Cox. “The reason why we have our patrol UAVs is to fill the need to do everything from search and rescue, for child who may have become lost or an injured hunter, to searching for suspect on the run.”

After months of research and testing, the Sheriff’s Office acquired a UAV platform that can be utilized in just about any situation. Watch a story about the “Drone Patrol.” – HERE

“We have all multi-rotor aircraft,” said Lt. Cox, which includes two DJI Matrice 100 models, two DJI Inspire 1 models, and a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced used primarily as a training drone. “We have color zoom cameras and thermal cameras on board, so that way we can detect not only color images but also find sources of heat. Having these tools to be able to benefit the department, benefit the parish, is an outstanding edition.”

Capt. Donnie Keith (left) and Lt. Will Cox ensure pilot trainee Dep. Mike Lombardino and observer trainee Dep. Tommy Burton work together to ensure a successful mission. In this scenario, the pilot had to fly the drone over a large pond and hover just a couple of feet above the dock on the other side, some hundreds of yards away.

Lt. Cox and Capt. Donnie Keith, who has been a private pilot since 1977, attended UAS School to become UAS pilots. They then developed their own UAS training program for the Sheriff’s Office, which is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, to train other deputies. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office has approval by the FAA to operate drones at nighttime.

“The goal is to move in, to be able to build an air corps of officers that are able to share responsibilities for assignments, and to respond daytime, nighttime, whenever the occasion might arise,” said Lt. Cox.

The duo began training other deputies in February 2017 to serve on “Drone Patrol.” The training consists of a week-long curriculum of ground and flight school, written exam, and

concludes with a variety of real-life training scenarios as their final flight exams. The first class graduated in February, and the second class just completed its training on March 24. Watch some of the training HERE.

Lt. Will Cox, instructor, stands with Dep. Kelly Downey, student, during a training mission. The deputies also train to understand the travel distance and battery usage of the drones, flying in inclement weather, and ensure they operate the drones in a responsible and professional manner.

The entire Bossier Sheriff’s Office UAS team consists of 10 deputies who have each been trained as both pilots and observers who can be called out at any time, 24-hours a day. Each deputy can serve as either pilot or observer, and when in a deployed situation, one deputy will operate the drone, and the other deputy will ensure proper clearance for safe operation. Some of those situations might involve deploying a drone in order to keep deputies and the public safe during a highly volatile situation.

One such scenario used in training was for the deputies to fly the drone just near a vehicle in order to assess a dangerous situation. “In a hazardous location not risking a deputy’s life, we can send a drone up to the vehicle to try to see what’s in the car,” said Capt. Keith. “And as you can see, there’s a weapon on the seat, there’s a weapon in his hand, and you can also fly around, and you can take a picture of his face and identify him. And we can video everything while it’s being done and take still pictures while the drone is flying.”

The deputies also trained to understand the travel distance and battery usage of the drones, flying in inclement weather, and to ensure they operate the drones in a responsible and professional manner.

“We’re not looking into people’s windows,” Lt. Cox emphasized. “We’re not trying to videotape your poolside behavior. Our mission is to provide safety, and now it’s safety from above.”

The Bossier Sheriff’s Office is also working to be able to assist other parishes and jurisdictions with the deployment of their UAVs as they have need.

In this still image taken from drone video shot over a wooded area at 10:30 p.m. in March 2017, the deputy was able to quickly locate three runaway teenagers using thermal imaging.

“We’ve had calls from three other Sheriff’s Offices here in Louisiana who have inquired about our UAV program and training their deputies,” said Capt. Keith. “We even received an e-mail from a police agency in Queensland, Australia, inquiring about our UAV program.”

For Sheriff Whittington, it’s all about public safety.

“From finding lost children in the woods or seniors with dementia who’ve wandered off, to locating criminals on the run, to providing a bird’s eye view during floods or other disasters, these unmanned aerial systems are an invaluable public safety resource,” said Sheriff

Whittington. “It’s another tool in our toolbox, and quite frankly, when it comes to the use of technology to help people, the sky’s the limit.”

“The quicker we can get to help someone who is in trouble or to apprehend a criminal, it is well worth it,” said Capt. Keith. “Use of drones saves time, money, manpower and is the most cost-effective means to put our eyes in the sky.”

Dep. Steve Dooley completes another successful UAS simulated mission during training March 24. He and other deputies completed a week-long curriculum of ground and flight school, written exam, and concluded with a variety of real-life training scenarios as their final flight exams to become members of the Bossier Sheriff’s Office “Drone Patrol.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Lt. Bill Davis, Public Information Officer

318-965-2203

318-754-7976