The Lee County Sheriff's Office in Florida owns a Dragonfish VTOL drone whose notable security and law enforcement use includes the search for missing person Brian Laundrie.
Drones are gaining traction in security and law enforcement, with police departments across the country beginning to deploy law enforcement drones. Lee County in southeastern Florida has more than 700,000 residents and is served by 1,600 officers. These officers are in charge of a vast area spanning more than six towns.
The whole process of finding Brian Laundrie by Dragonfish VTOL drone
The Lee County Sheriff's Office issued an arrest warrant for Brian Landry in September, but was unsuccessful in locating the suspect by October. At this time, Brian Landry had entered the Carlton Reserve, where the terrain was more difficult to cross, and a large-scale search became more difficult.
The Lee County Sheriff decided to deploy a drone to cover difficult terrain as efficiently as possible, which is where Autel's Dragonfish comes into action. Dragonfish's advanced heat-seeking technology finds missing persons within hours.
Ultimately, Dragonfish found Brian's remains at Carlton Reserve and officially revealed his identity on October 21, 2021.
Lee County Sheriff's Views on Dragonfish Drones
The Lee County Sheriff's Office is using the Dragonfish Standard, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone designed for large-scale operations, weighing 7.5 kilograms, with fully automated take-off and landing procedures, and flying for more than two Hour.
“When we look at exactly what it sees, it can go 18.6 miles away from the operator. It has all the capabilities of our helicopters... (but) if a helicopter costs about $2,000 an hour, our drone is $0.75 an hour".
"You can't hide from this," commented Sheriff Carmine Merceno, who spoke about Dragonfish after the search.
How can the Autel Dragonfish VTOL drone be used in law enforcement?
Autel Dragonfish has a unique tilt rotor design that can be customized with payloads allowing different use cases. In situations where felons or fugitives may be present, the multi-sensor DG-T3 payload is a perfect choice. 4K, 20x optical zoom with thermal ensures potential targets can be identified even when obscured or underwater.
Dragonfish played a major role in quickly finding Brian Laundrie for the Lee County Police Department. Its advanced heat-seeking technology and customizable payload facilitated the search, while its efficient, low-profile design provided local law enforcement with a cost-effective solution. Effective solutions. This is just one example of how drones are improving efficiency, safety and saving money for police departments across the country.
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