Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's face it, if you have a police department, and
most police departments are this way, we have a shortage
of manpower. Any every little bit of technology you can employ,
it can be very helpful. Sergeant Felix Williams joins us
from the Parentland Police Department. They're already using drones. Welcome
to the show, Sergeant Williams. What do you folks using
the drones for?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So, we actually have specific criteria that we use the
drones for, essentially, and we have it written in into
our policy that we met with the a c ou
of Texas to kind of come up with our policy
and what we would respond for. So stuff like crashes
(00:42):
in progress, crimes, burglary staffs, person crimes, and we also
use them for essentially any sort of call that an
aerial view might provide situational awareness or additional information until
officers can arrive on scene.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
How does the public respond to this? Have you lost
any drones people taking potshots at them or are they
complaining at all?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
No, we haven't had any complaints with the drones, and
if they one listening has concerns about that, I would
highly advise don't take potshots. That's a federal violation because
drones are considered aircrafts.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
How expensive A proposition is that I don't know how
many drones you all have in Paarland, but I'm thinking
they're not particularly cheap to buy and you probably have
to train somebody to run them, don't you.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Correct? Yes, So it depends on the solution that you
use for DFR purposes Drones first responder. We are utilizing
the Dji Dot ones, which ron about thirty thousand dollars each.
That includes the drone. They have released the DOC two,
(01:57):
which is about half the price. And then there are
other companies that are coming out with their own solutions
as well.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
How high do they fly? And I would assume that
these are not armed drones of any sense?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Correct? Yes, federal law prohibits drones from being armed, and
so they're not armed. The only thing they have on
them is a camera. And for our purposes we fly
we have a max height of two hundred feet.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Okay, so you have the camera on board. I'm thinking
this comes in pretty handy. Let's say, for example, you
have a burglary and process and patrol officer is too
far away to get there quickly, but you can dispatch
the drone there in the very least get photographic evidence
of who might be responsible for the crime. Correct, And
(02:47):
a lot of times it's getting there and then being
able to follow that person until the officers to get there,
and we can provide real time information on Hey, this guy,
he just ran down my street. He's hiding behind them
bush and similar How.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Much does it increase your efficiency? Can you can you
put a number on it? Do you think.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So? Our response times with the drone is the mean
and median are right around three minutes, and that includes
the about one minute takeoff time sequence that has to go.
It goes through first, which our response times are Priority one,
(03:31):
our highest priority calls for a manned officer response is
about four minutes, and then Priority two is about five
to six minutes. And so even on our highest priority calls,
we're getting there with the drone about a minute before
officers get there.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Just out of curiosity. Do you see at any point
in time that this might have a traffic violation? Sort
of in other words, where you can actually have a
drone that can monitor the speed of vehicle that that
it sees speeding and record the evidence and in the
license plate number and you can just send people tickets.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Oh no, absolutely not, especially for our purposes. We like,
like I said, we met with the ACLU and we
drafted specific circumstances which we will fly this drone for
for this purpose. And then also kind of butts up
against Texas government Code for twenty three which only allows
(04:32):
for recording images or video with drones for very specific purposes.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Interesting. It'll be interesting to see how this all works
out for all of our local departments.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
And must must be brave new world.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
It is.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
It is Sergeant Felix Williams psyche for being on the show.
Sergeant Williams is with the Pairlane Police Department.
Let's face it, if you have a police department, and
most police departments are this way, we have a shortage
of manpower. Any every little bit of technology you can employ,
it can be very helpful. Sergeant Felix Williams joins us
from the Parentland Police Department. They're already using drones. Welcome
to the show, Sergeant Williams. What do you folks using
the drones for?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So, we actually have specific criteria that we use the
drones for, essentially, and we have it written in into
our policy that we met with the a c ou
of Texas to kind of come up with our policy
and what we would respond for. So stuff like crashes
(00:42):
in progress, crimes, burglary staffs, person crimes, and we also
use them for essentially any sort of call that an
aerial view might provide situational awareness or additional information until
officers can arrive on scene.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
How does the public respond to this? Have you lost
any drones people taking potshots at them or are they
complaining at all?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
No, we haven't had any complaints with the drones, and
if they one listening has concerns about that, I would
highly advise don't take potshots. That's a federal violation because
drones are considered aircrafts.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
How expensive A proposition is that I don't know how
many drones you all have in Paarland, but I'm thinking
they're not particularly cheap to buy and you probably have
to train somebody to run them, don't you.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Correct? Yes, So it depends on the solution that you
use for DFR purposes Drones first responder. We are utilizing
the Dji Dot ones, which ron about thirty thousand dollars each.
That includes the drone. They have released the DOC two,
(01:57):
which is about half the price. And then there are
other companies that are coming out with their own solutions
as well.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
How high do they fly? And I would assume that
these are not armed drones of any sense?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Correct? Yes, federal law prohibits drones from being armed, and
so they're not armed. The only thing they have on
them is a camera. And for our purposes we fly
we have a max height of two hundred feet.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Okay, so you have the camera on board. I'm thinking
this comes in pretty handy. Let's say, for example, you
have a burglary and process and patrol officer is too
far away to get there quickly, but you can dispatch
the drone there in the very least get photographic evidence
of who might be responsible for the crime. Correct, And
(02:47):
a lot of times it's getting there and then being
able to follow that person until the officers to get there,
and we can provide real time information on Hey, this guy,
he just ran down my street. He's hiding behind them
bush and similar How.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Much does it increase your efficiency? Can you can you
put a number on it? Do you think.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So? Our response times with the drone is the mean
and median are right around three minutes, and that includes
the about one minute takeoff time sequence that has to go.
It goes through first, which our response times are Priority one,
(03:31):
our highest priority calls for a manned officer response is
about four minutes, and then Priority two is about five
to six minutes. And so even on our highest priority calls,
we're getting there with the drone about a minute before
officers get there.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Just out of curiosity. Do you see at any point
in time that this might have a traffic violation? Sort
of in other words, where you can actually have a
drone that can monitor the speed of vehicle that that
it sees speeding and record the evidence and in the
license plate number and you can just send people tickets.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Oh no, absolutely not, especially for our purposes. We like,
like I said, we met with the ACLU and we
drafted specific circumstances which we will fly this drone for
for this purpose. And then also kind of butts up
against Texas government Code for twenty three which only allows
(04:32):
for recording images or video with drones for very specific purposes.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Interesting. It'll be interesting to see how this all works
out for all of our local departments.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
And must must be brave new world.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
It is.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
It is Sergeant Felix Williams psyche for being on the show.
Sergeant Williams is with the Pairlane Police Department.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.