Merrillville, Ind., police use drones for public safety

(TNS) — The Merrillville Police Department’s use of drones has proven effective in its crime-fighting efforts, according to a press release from the City of Merrillville on Monday.

Merrillville officers were dispatched to a 911 call on 58th Avenue on April 26 and found a person who had been shot, the release said. While paramedics transported the person to a hospital, police sent a drone into the air to see if they could locate any possible suspects nearby.

The drone helped officers “maintain a secure line of sight” of the area where they believed the suspects were and indicated which areas to send officers to, the release said.

“We were able to lock it down and make sure no one could get in or out because we had the drone outside,” Chief Kosta Nuses said. “It gave us a really good game plan.”

The suspects then came forward, the statement says, and agreed to be interviewed about the incident.

The department purchased the drones after the Merrillville City Council approved $150,000 in December of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funding for the equipment, the release said. Council President Rick Bella, D-5th, said he is pleased the department is implementing this new technology and that it has worked so far.

“My personal, first-hand experience as a Federal Aviation Administration (Federal Aviation Administration) certified drone pilot brings an additional level of understanding and expertise to the initiative, and I am pleased that my colleagues on the ARPA Committee have approved the expenditures,” Bella said. “It is a commendable step toward modernizing crime-fighting techniques and ultimately ensuring the safety of both officers and the community.”

The drones can be used in different ways, such as going to a house or building where a window has been broken to check if there are suspects inside. In a situation where a suspect has fled a crime scene, the drones can help demarcate an area and monitor it, the release said.

“It’s safer for the officers and even safer for the suspect because we know what we’re dealing with,” Nuses said. “These tools help us better prepare for different situations.”

Police hope to use the drones more frequently on calls, Nuses said in the news release. They will work with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, which has a similar program, to share knowledge about the technology that Nuses hopes will improve security for both departments.

© 2024 The Times (Munster, Ind.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.