In Enfield, police were able to arrest a suspect who ran away in the woods thanks to help from their drone. They shared the video on Facebook to be viewed here.
"We believe the drone has proved itself many times over again,” Enfield Police Chief Alaric Fox said.
He said using the drone in this circumstance allowed the suspect to be monitored until officers and K9 Duke could catch up and make an arrest.
This is just one example of the drone being utilized in Enfield. For about five years, Fox said they've had several drones. They’ve broken them out for missing persons cases, traffic observations and even crime scene mapping.
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"This is a tool that years ago, we either didn’t have access to or if you needed something like that, you’d call state police for a helicopter to come onto the scene,” Fox said.
The use of drones for law enforcement is growing throughout Connecticut.
Connecticut State Police tells us there have been roughly 131 incidents where their drones have been utilized so far this year. They say the State Police Drone Unit utilizes 11 drones.
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At Southern Connecticut State University, Drone Academy coordinator Cindy Simoneau said their programming has trained dozens of first responders since its inception in 2019.
"We have more than ever before seen and received contact from people who are interested in integrating this and for a first responder point of view in police and fire departments,” Simoneau said.
With the technology ever evolving and the price continually becoming more affordable, Simoneau predicts in time, every department in the state will have a drone component.
"It only makes sense of how they would look in the woods of Connecticut, the shoreline of Connecticut, we have a lot of highway and infrastructure,” Simoneau said.
Back in Enfield, Fox emphasizes drones being used for first responders and law enforcement purposes are used for just that, meaning their use would coincide with your constitutional rights.
