Government Technology - November 2007 - (Page 33)

Gaining Altitude Sacramento Police Department develops its own unmanned vehicle. The Sacramento, Calif., Police Department (SacPD) recently unveiled an addition to its air program that could greatly bolster search-and-rescue missions, help monitor ﬂoods and free up the department’s two helicopters for more critical calls. The new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will provide an affordable — not to mention quieter — alternative to the hovering helicopter during incidents, said Sacramento Police Chief Albert Nájera, who said the department gets many complaints about the helicopter’s noise. “The noise factor is huge. This is almost silent; you can’t hear it,” he said. “Not many police departments can afford a helicopter, but most will be able to afford this.” The miniature airplane is one of two aircraft in the development stage designed to enhance the department’s existing airborne technology program. There is also a mini helicopter under development that hasn’t been unveiled yet. The SacPD’s current air program consists of two conventional helicopters with video downlink communications that stream video to mobile data terminals in police patrol cars and to mobile command vehicles. The Sacramento area is at high risk for a catastrophic ﬂood and needs to be monitored closely during periods of heavy rain. The department currently uses its helicopters to shine infrared light on the levees surrounding the city to detect leaks. UAVs could be used for this task, Nájera said, freeing up the helicopters to handle critical calls. The miniature aircraft could also be used for search-and-rescue missions. “I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard over the radio, ‘Is an air unit available?’” said the developer of the aircraft, Mark Bateson, senior solution architect of public safety IT for the department. The 5-foot-long aircraft weighs about 12 pounds and can carry multiple video cameras. It is hand-launched and can circle autonomously for 45 minutes at about 30 mph. It has “stare capability,” which means ofﬁcers at the station can remotely train the video on a subject for its entire ﬂight. “With a right click, I can give it latitude and a longitude and point the camera,” Bateson said. The aircraft is battery operated, ﬂies autonomously for the most part, and even calculates the direction and speed of the wind while in ﬂight. Bateson said the next step is to pursue Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certiﬁcation and authorization. “It is our intention to work in a cooperative teaming arrangement with the FAA to make this work and follow the book, so to speak, to make this a success.” 33

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - November 2007

Government Technology - November 2007 Contents Point of View Way Back Machine The Last Mile GT Spectrum Big Picture Building Better Government Up Close Inspector Gadget By the Numbers Money Talking No Greenwashing Pinching Pennies Bay Bridge Bustle Two Cents Products Signal: Noise

Government Technology - November 2007

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