Members of the department’s drone team are working to fulfill the police chief’s vision of using automated drones as first responders across San Antonio.
For nearly five years, eight officers in the department’s RAVEN program — short for Robotic Aerial Vehicle Enforcement — have been flying a fleet of a dozen nonweaponized drones on assignments such as monitoring crowds at the Alamodome, recording images of major crashes on U.S. 281 and assisting tactical and SWAT teams by providing views inside homes or other structures in emergency situations.
“The program is still in its infancy,” he said. “While the idea is to implement this unit, it is still a long ways off as we collect data and best practices.”Such programs aren’t new; law enforcement agencies in Texas and across the United States have been using drones for years, most being flown manually by pilots on the ground.
“Having the drones up is having a new set of eyes,” Hooten said. “If we spot something, we can let other officers know. Before, we were blindly not knowing what to expect. Now, it gives us added safety.” “You can get the drone there in a few minutes to take the picture and then immediately clean the site and let traffic pass,” Spelman said. “And then the investigator can examine the footage the drone photographs and draw the same conclusions that he or she would having been out there with a tape measure.”
“It is a basic principle that the government shouldn’t just surveil large groups of people in case something might happen,” he said. “Simply launching a drone to hover above a protest isn’t an appropriate use, in our view.” “We’re providing situational awareness for the officers,” said Manck, 30, who patrolled the St. Mary’s Strip entertainment district before joining the team in January. “Instead of putting officers in danger, we can send a drone to get 360-degree vision of an area. In a way, it’s less dangerous for us because we’re more removed from the front lines. But it’s still dangerous, especially when we’re helping with SWAT barricaded incidents.”504 square miles and serves more than 1.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Paul McCartney responds to AI allegations about new Beatles songHe gets by with a little help from AI — just a little.
Read more »
SAPD files murder charges against three officers who shot woman on Southwest SideBREAKING: SAPD has filed murder charges against three officers who shot and killed a woman on the Southwest Side.
Read more »
Who is Victor Wembanyama's sister Eve? She made a splash at the NBA draftThe world was introduced to her after the San Antonio Spurs selected her 'little' brother as the first overall pick in the NBA draft.
Read more »
Murder charges filed against three San Antonio police officersSAN ANTONIO — (SAN ANTONIO) -- Murder charges were filed Friday against three members of the San Antonio Police Department after they allegedly shot and killed a woman in her apartment, the department said.
Read more »
6 San Antonio chefs will represent the city across the globeSix San Antonio chefs will represent San Antonio across the globe over the next two years as UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy chef ambassadors.
Read more »
Woman shot, killed by officers during disturbance at apartment complex, SAPD Chief McManus saysA disturbance at an apartment complex on the far Southwest Side has ended with police officers shooting and killing a woman, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said.
Read more »