Volume 23
“If migrants are coming
across a cer-
May 2018 Edition
tain path, the officers can see where
they have actually crossed.”
Additionally, drones can be used
to provide law enforcement
agents situational awareness
and surveillance.
During law enforcement mission
scenarios, drones flew over vessels
where people carried fake weap-
A Coast Guard boat with people carrying simulated weapons.
(Courtesy of the USCG)
ons to evaluate if the camera could identify
Another mission scenario involved oil spills, the key hand guns and rifles.
of which is that drones provide a better view from
One of the key findings from the tests at Sing-
high above.
ing River Island is that payloads need to be as-
“Drones can actually ‘see’ where the oil spill sessed in more geographical locations.
is going and how large it is,” said Dunn.
To see how sensors perform in different cli-
For post-storm damage assessment scenarios, tradi- mates, the Coast Guard has been conducting
tionally, the Coast Guard would send an airplane or a
tests, which will be completed this year, in
helicopter, which have a high operating cost.
five different locations – Alaska, California,
Florida, Missouri, and the Gulf of Mexico.
“Drones would cost significantly less,” said Dunn.
“You can fly small drones and
provide a rapid damage as-
sessment.”
Border Patrol can also use
this surveillance capability
to track illegal immigra-
tion.
“Patrol officers can fly a drone
over the border to search for
signs of illegal crossings –
footprints in the sand and tire
tracks,” said Dunn.
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