A new sheriff is in town. And he isn’t riding a horse. He is your “eyes in the sky” and is most often called a drone.
A recent 2017 study by Bard College, showed that owning a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) or drone is no longer a novelty. Between 2006 and 2014 only a handful of public safety agencies reported any meaningful drone use. Since then, over 200 local law enforcement departments have joined the remarkable and rapidly growing drone community.
Your department may already choose to deploy UAV technology in several of these operations:
Air support, surveillance
Search and rescue support
Hostage and active shooter support
Air drop supplies
Outdoor crime photography
Outdoor bomb calls
Accident photography
SWAT support
Your Drone is great, why IR?
IR save lives.
For years, infrared(IR) technology has protected the military. Since WWII, NVG’s and advanced scope sights have protected soldiers and prevented friendly fire casualties.
Now, IR technology is cheaper. This permits police departments to beef-up drones with IR devices – Thermal cameras.
Right now, hand-held thermal cameras are the “ go to” for ground operations. And SAR, Fugitive chases, and Swat operations reap the benefits of this life-saving technology every day.
But for aerial operations, a thermal camera on a drone is mind-blowingly valuable.
Suspect cannot hide from a thermal camera
Thermal cameras attached to a drone detect any heat source on the ground.
People, animals, and vehicles give off this invisible heat energy. This heat energy looks “white hot” or grey to the camera.
So, the camera screen shows a heat figure run, sit, climb, hide etc…
In the case of a chase, the camera identifies and tracks the running suspect. If the suspect tries to hide, he can’t. His heat energy is a dead give-a-away.
Eliminate your confusion in the chase
But with all this movement going on, how can you distinguish a suspect from the officers chasing him?
With thermal film!
How will thermal film help you?
Thermal film, known on the streets as “thermals,” identifies who is who and where they are. Unlike people, thermals do not give off invisible heat energy.
Instead, they reflect the temperature from the cold sky.
Therefore, instead of appearing the same contrast at its surroundings the film will appear the opposite (depending on the cameras contrast settings). For example, the image shows a “white hot” setting, while the thermal patch on the officers shoulder is black.
The results?
No more guessing and quick accurate decisions, leads you to successful operations.
Thermals protect you against ambush
The best way to see thermals on an officer is to attach them to their hat, shoulders, chest or upper back.
The black mark is clearly seen with the thermal camera. Therefore, the officer’s location is always visible.
Because the suspect will NOT have a black mark, it’s easy to identify his location and movement. With the exact location of the suspect known, the officers in pursuit are protected from a possible ambush.
For example, placing the thermal film on the roof of the car eliminates any confusion on a crowded road. The location of the unit in pursuit is identified, tracked and protected.
In the end, thermal film minimizes the risks officer face and protects them from harm.
Possible challenges
Fog, smoke and clouds do not interfere with your view of the thermals.
But water creates a barrier. Therefore, operations underwater are null and void. In the case of rain, wipe off any water that puddles on the thermal marker. No worries, water does not damage the film.
Hug your loved ones at the end of your shift
Intrigued to give thermals a try?
Want to make each operation safer?
Don’t let doubt or budgets stop you from making a 5 minute phone call.
Find out how you qualify for a FREE SAMPLE.
Call Tom at 301.443.8885 or Tboyer@ir.tools
Our safety depends on your safety!
The Author
Tom founded IR.Tools™ in 2006. He has embraced manufacturing premium IR patches, panels, thermal markers, and thermal targets to better protect and train the military and law enforcement communities. Always the innovator, he is always thinking out of the box. Currently he has 21 awarded patents, and 14 patents pending. Tom received his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Univ. of MD, College Park and his MBA from Regents Univ.
Thermal cameras attached to a drone detect any heat source on the ground. 
