Community Corner
Lakewood Police To Be First In County To Get Thermal Drone: Police
The thermal drone will be used in search and rescue efforts and could be shared with neighboring police departments, according to police.
LAKEWOOD, IL — The Lakewood Village Board last week approved the purchase of a $14,000 thermal drone, which will be used mainly for search and rescue purposes, Shaw Media News Network is reporting.
The drone will be delivered Friday, and Lakewood Sgt. Sean McGrath will be the primary operator of the drone. The Lakewood Police Department is working to get an additional officer trained to use the device, McGrath told the newspaper.
The drone will be able to pick up heat temperatures and locate people under various weather conditions and also find them in wooded areas, according to the article.
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Lakewood police could also use the drone to assist with crash investigations, and the department is open to talks with neighboring police departments on how the drone could benefit their departments.
“We’ll be the only agency in the county that has this (kind of thermal) drone,” McGrath told Shaw Media News Network. “That is a benefit not only to our community but to the communities around us.”
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