KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Police Department said it uses nine drones for crime scene documentation, traffic monitoring, locating suspects who flee and more.
Using drone technology has made the department more efficient in some cases, said Michael Tucker, KPD's drone team leader.
"It's certainly a force multiplier," he said. "It's able to see more from the air than one guy can see on the ground by himself. And it has a better view."
KPD often uses drones to monitor fatal car crashes, he also said. Drones can use an overhead shot to give officers a better idea of the crash site, rather than solely relying on ground-based cameras.
Thermal imaging can also drones locate people in remote or covered areas.
"Even in the daytime, you can see people in the thermal imager. If someone was walking around in the woods, we're going to see them," Tucker said.
He said sending a drone into a crime scene area first, with officers nearby, can save lives.
"We fly the drone in so we don't have to send officers or police dogs in — living beings that could get injured," he said.
KPD doesn't rapidly deploy drones to crime scenes before officers have arrived. He said the police department is actively trying to train more officers to fly the drone.
Drone use has sparked privacy debates nationwide. KPD said it has strict guidelines in place to mitigate concerns, Tucker said. The drone video feed is always recorded and monitored, and structured flight logs are required for every flight.