When most of us think of drone deployments in public safety our minds generally go to:
- Search and rescue
- Hostage rescue
- Bomb EOD
- Hazmat response
- Fleeing suspects, either on foot or in a vehicle
- Missing children
- Drones as First Responder (DFR Programs)
BRINC’s LEMUR 2 accomplishes all those tasks plus one that law enforcement is only recently starting to leverage: real-time mapping.
Imagine having live video from inside the building on a barricaded subject or hostage call that has a 3-D, interactive map of the area and even the interior of a structure where an emergency is occurring. That means no more guesswork when planning an operation. That means no more guessing the layout and the location of any obstructions.
That level of advanced situational awareness is invaluable to cops on the ground. The BRINC LEMUR 2 feature generates floorplans on the paired remote controller and full 3D models in real-time on the paired web app named LiveOps.
How does the BRINC LEMUR get inside in the first place? It has an integral glass breaker, effective in penetrating most residential glass and even tempered automotive windows. It’s powerful enough to push open unlatched doors.
Officer safety
If officers must make an entry, with the LEMUR 2’s mapping capability, they can do so with full knowledge of the structure’s layout and the location of any suspects and hostages. It’s not an exaggeration to say that information could have life-saving benefits.
De-escalation
The ability to confirm a suspect is inside a structure along with the ability to communicate with him or her via the two-way radio system during a crisis enables officers to attempt verbal de-escalation. Many times – actually, more often than not in my experience – barricaded subjects do not want to communicate with officers. They will not answer their phone or respond to public address announcements. A drone hovering in the hallway is pretty hard to ignore.
Investigations
Another benefit of drone mapping software comes after the action is over. After tactical teams and/or investigators are done with a scene, it’s common practice to draw a diagram of the residence or business. These drawings are filed away by tactical teams as intelligence for potential future activations at the same location. My team responded to residences more than once and in at least one case, three separate times. Knowing the layout of the interior speeds up the briefing time and helps to ensure a flawless operation. That floor plan is also useful to crime scene technicians and investigators. There’s no need to waste overtime after the crisis is over to draw a crime scene diagram. You already have it.
With the LEMUR 2’s mapping capability, that information can be obtained even if the team has never been there before.
Advanced situational awareness
The real-time mapping functions of LEMUR 2 provide tactical and LE teams with advanced and potentially life-saving situational awareness. As far as law enforcement drone technology goes, BRINC is offering us an upgrade in both efficiency and safety with the LEMUR 2.
Learn more at https://brincdrones.com/police-drones/.