New technologies are also being used by police forces. Although we are constantly hearing about drones being used for military purposes, they can be used, as the police used them in this case, to monitor traffic and catch a suspect in a car theft.
Car theft: use of futuristic detection is already a reality
California police have arrested a man suspected of breaking into cars near the Santa Monica Pier over the Fourth of July weekend. And while this wouldn’t normally be a particularly notable occurrence, the story behind it sounds like the kind of thing we might start seeing more often. Why? The arrest was made possible by a drone surveillance program that the Santa Monica Police Department first rolled out in late 2021.
On July 6th, our drone was returning to the police station after a radio call when the pilot decided to check out the crowd situation near the pier and beach lots. While flying over Lot 1 North (the large lot north of the pier), the pilot noticed a male individual wandering around the lot, acting suspiciously.
Santa Monica police said in a Press release.
The police statement explained that the drone observed the suspect using a screwdriver and another tool to open the lock of a vehicle before entering the interior for about two minutes.
While in the vehicle, the driver called for officers to come to the parking lot. While they were en route, the suspect used the same tactics to break into another vehicle, this time a truck. At this point, the driver guided officers to the correct parking lot lane. Officers found the suspect in possession of several stolen items and placed him under arrest for vehicle theft and several other theft offenses.
The police said in a statement.
Santa Monica police posted the video on YouTube and Facebook, which shows how it all happened.
The Santa Monica police drone program, officially known as the Drone as a First Responder initiative, has been used in a variety of ways over the past two years, from catching a home burglar to finding a man who assaulted a 73-year-old woman. But the program has also been controversial, given the Orwellian vibes that come with having surveillance drones hovering overhead.
We may not be many years away from having security forces drones hovering over our heads, with the legitimate intention of protecting citizens. However, there are always two sides to the coin.
Source: pplware.sapo.pt
