Drones becoming gamechanger for police tracking suspects or missing persons

ENFIELD, Conn. (WFSB) - Drones are now a gamechanger for police.

From tracking down a suspect to finding a missing person, they’re speeding up the way officers solve cases.

Channel 3 sat down with Enfield police to learn more.

Drone video from Enfield police show the rescue of a blind man who disappeared in the woods. He was missing for 33 hours.

“There was very heavy snow coming down. Conditions were not good. He got disorientated in that weather and couldn’t find his way back in,” said Enfield Chief Alaric Fox.

It took a drone with thermal imaging 30 minutes to find him.

“They’ve been remarkable,” Chief Alaric said. “The drone has certainly proven it’s worth. The old approach was to send officers into that area and hope that we didn’t have a violent encounter.

In another incident captured on camera, police K-9s struggled to locate a suspect who fled into the woods.

“There was a suspect that fled into the woods,” Alaric explained. “The K9s were working strong in the areas, but they weren’t able to pin down where the suspect was.”

Officer Shane Lewis was there that day in November of last year.

He says the K9′s were struggling, but the drone was not. The drone spotted a heat signature next to a tree.

“As soon as I got the K9 within 150 yards of him, the person starts running and we were able to track that person and walk the K9 right into them,” Officer Lewis said.

these eyes in the sky help monitor crowds too.

At the Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Hartford, police kept an eye on the crowd using drones.

It is called aerial surveillance. Case law from the 1980s makes sure they can only record public areas.

“The pilots are all licensed. The drone is not being used to peer in anyone’s window or to violate anyone’s civil rights,” Alaric said.

First responders used them to fight a large East Putnam brush fire.

They can even be used to drop life vests if someone is struggling in the Connecticut River.

They can also help speed up crash investigations. Police can map out an accident scene and collect information.

They have 7 drone pilots at Enfield PD, and Chief Fox is grateful knowing they’ve saved at least one life in his town.

“It’s a tragic story. It’s a horrible story, but certainly it’s that much more tragic if he is not found,” said Alaric.