A drone equipped with a thermal camera has been used in a police takedown of an alleged burglar in Lawrence, Kansas. The drone’s thermal camera guided officers to the location of the individual at around 4:30am.
An aerial takedown
The Lawrence Police Department used a thermally equipped drone early in the morning on Thursday to locate an alleged burglar that hit a number of cars in the area.
First responders were notified by callers that a man with a flashlight had been roaming around the area and breaking into vehicles. Once on scene, first responders spotted the man who then began to run away.
That’s when the drone was called in. You can watch the full video of the police drone and body camera footage here.
Through the use of the drone, the pilot was able to track the man as he continued to try and get away from police, eventually hiding in bushes beside a boat in a neighbouring house.
Once the man stopped, officers were able to step in and take him into custody. Without the drone, officers would have struggled to see the suspect in the night, leading to a potential getaway.
According to KCTV5, the man, I. Ford, was booked in association to the alleged burglaries into the Douglas County Detention Center. This is not his first offence, with a 2022 burglary offence coming up as well, where he failed to appear.
At the time of writing, Ford is currently behind bars with no bond.
This isn’t the first time drones have been used in police operations in the state of Kansas with a man, last year, taking aim at officers and a police drone, resulting in him being shot.
Outside of the state, police recently used a drone to help locate a woman in Connecticut, while police in Missouri were able to locate a missing 68yr old man. In Maryland, a drone even captured a stabbing as it took place, which helped police secure a conviction in a violent assualt case.
Source: KCTV5
