An officer from the Tahlequah Police Department prepares to teach a course so the department can use drones for assistance during calls.
Police chief Nate King said two drones that will be used for daily operations have been delivered.
“Officer Cory Keele used the drones on [vehicle crashes] primarily to capture the scene when it happens, ”King said. “Myself, I think it is a better representation than us to draw a cartoon by hand of a [crash]. “
Keele has been a certified TPD pilot since late summer, and King said several other officers have expressed interest in the program.
“He is a licensed certified pilot and we thank all the anglers and his organizers of the Back the Blue Fishing Tournament for purchasing the drones,” King said.
The TPD has obtained an Authorization Waiver Certificate through the Federal Aviation Administration, which allows personnel to train and self-certify their pilots.
Keele is working on the program’s tests and the flight school officers will have to complete them sometime after the vacation.
“We will start to organize our training, testing and continuing education,” King said.
One of the drones is equipped with a camera with infrared capabilities and a speakerphone that agents can communicate when assisting in searches. The other drone is smaller and King said it has a cage-like function to protect it.
“We can fly indoors, and if it hits a wall you won’t damage the propellers and it will still be flyable. We can use it for searches of buildings and anything inside, ”King said.
The loudspeaker can also give agents an advantage when it comes to negotiations in a stalemate.
“You can either send live messages or record a message on it,” he said.
Each drone weighing more than 0.55 pounds must have a current registration mark, and the pilot must carry proof of registration through the FAA.
King said no taxpayer money was used to purchase the two drones, which cost just over $ 10,000.
Each officer will fly under Keele’s license during training, and the COA covers TPD for several missions.
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