The Technology That Police Call a Game-Changer
A California police department was the first to deploy drones in their operations. Since then, hundreds of departments across the nation have followed suit. Many laud the success stories these drones have helped create, while some raise concerns about privacy issues.
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**CHULA VISTA, Calif.** — The scene that unfolded along Interstate 5 resembled a carefully choreographed action-film sequence, but it was a real-life situation marked by urgency and danger.
Flames and smoke billowed into the night sky from a vehicle that had crashed off the roadway. Upon arrival, police discovered that the car’s driver was trapped inside, screaming in agony.
“C’mon, give me your hand!” an officer yelled as he and three others worked frantically to extricate the man through a rear window they had broken.
Panting and grunting, the officers struggled. Then, seconds after pulling the man to safety along the highway’s berm, the car exploded. A ball of fire engulfed it—just as a fire truck arrived. The Hollywood-worthy timing, captured on video, was breathtaking.
“That guy probably would have perished,” Chula Vista Police Capt. John English said, if not for the officers’ heroism—and the aid of a camera-equipped, airborne drone.
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By relaying real-time information to officers en route to emergencies like this one, drones help police plan their actions and react faster.
English reviewed footage of the fiery rescue with The Epoch Times, explaining how the drone played a critical role in saving the man’s life.
As the car burned, the drone’s aerial view allowed police to quickly identify the best route to the scene. Without that perspective, officers might have chosen a more distant highway entrance.
“That would have taken extra time to get there—and they didn’t have it,” English noted.
Moreover, the drone’s thermal imaging showed no person near the burning car, but officers still suspected someone might be trapped inside the wreckage. That fear heightened their sense of urgency and helped avert a tragedy.
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Although the man and three of the four rescuing officers sustained injuries, all have since recovered.
That incident, on October 13, 2023, stands out as a dramatic example of how drones are bolstering police work across the country.
Officers have used terms such as “game-changer,” “transformational,” and “revolutionary” to describe the impact of drones on their jobs.
However, some raise alarms over the technology’s capacity to intrude on privacy, sparking ongoing debates about its use.
By Janice Hisle
https://www.thethinkingconservative.com/the-technology-that-police-call-a-game-changer/
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