Manchester police now utilizing drones in search and rescue, SWAT situations
Manchester police have introduced a new tool in the department that they said has already helped to save a life. The new drone unit rolled out about a month ago.
The unit is so new to the department, most of its members are still in training. The only officer licensed to fly a drone right now put it up in the air last night to help rescue a woman in the woods.
Even though it was dark, police were able to quickly find the woman using the thermal imaging camera.
“If we had used the K-9 in this particular instance, we would’ve started in one location, and it probably would’ve had the same outcome. It just may have been a little longer,” Officer Joseph Tucker said.
Police said the drones will also be vital in keeping officers safe in SWAT situations.
“I think it’s huge for officer safety, especially going into attics and then going into basements, dark areas,” Tucker said.
Tucker said this kind of technology could have made a difference when two officers were shot in the city in 2016.
“I’m not saying this would’ve been 100% but it’s a tool we could’ve used, and I wish it was available when officer (Ryan) Hardy and officer (Matthew) O’Conner got shot,” Tucker said.
Hardy was shot around 2 a.m., and Tucker said a drone with thermal imaging may have helped find the shooter before O’Conner was shot in a different area almost 30 minutes later.
The unit has multiple drones for different scenarios. It will start out with about a dozen members and could grow in the future.