LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Las Vegas Metro Police Department now has more eyes in the sky as a way to fight crime and keep specific communities safe from above.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill talked about a big technology push in his State of the Department address.
When it comes to public safety, Metro Police want to get there first, and get there fast, and with upgraded new drones, they can.
The sheriff even compared drones to first responders.
“Those drones, they’re being deployed just like a K-9 unit would be,” Sheriff McMahill said. “They go out, they put the drone up and they give real time intelligence to cops that are responding out there right now. Never happened in my career. It’s going to keep us more safe.”
The FOX5 saw that in real time Monday night, as Metro searched for an endangered minor in Summerlin.
Metro tells FOX5 the department uses the technology in any incident where a drone could assist with officer safety or locating individuals. Searches last as long as they have to, and drone pilots provide updates to officers on the call, described in an arrest shown at the state of the department address.
“Now he’s running south and west over that other address now, still in the rear yard. Excellent job by all. We got one in custody. All officers are safe,” as narrated by police audio.
Metro uses a diverse set of drones, but Sheriff McMahill is most excited about the newest addition, the Skydio drone which will launch in targeted areas, sometimes getting there before officers on the ground.
“They’re going to be deployed out into 10 hotspot neighborhoods in our community and they’re going to be tied to license plate readers and gunshot detection technology,” McMahill said.
Sheriff McMahill explains what happens behind the scenes when drones are used in high-profile incidents like active assaults, burglaries or vehicle theft.
“Back at the real time crime center at headquarters, we’ll have an individual that will be able to take over the piloting of the drone, and as the police officers are responding to this call for service, where shots still may be being fired, a victim may be down,” Sheriff McMahill said. “We’ll have real time intelligence to be able to go in there and continue to save human beings and their lives.“
The sheriff calls the drones a game changer and says they’re getting them with donations to the department.
He also addressed critics who worry about privacy issues saying his goal is not to turn Nevada into a surveillance state, and the new unmanned tech is designed to respond only to incidents of violence.
Sheriff McMahill says he’s part of the first police department in the country that received authorization to operate the drones beyond their visual line of sight. It’s all thanks to a partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration.
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