MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Police and technology go hand in hand, and the combination is poised to play an even bigger role in how the city of Memphis and Shelby County fight crime.
There are all sorts of technologies that can help police keep you safe, from license plate readers to integrated camera systems, but the use of drones is also a popular technology that is already widely used.
For example, if you were in the crowd at an event in Memphis last May at Tom Lee Park, you were being monitored by a Shelby County Sheriff's Office drone.
“If someone slips down a hill and falls into the water, we have a drone so we can be right next to them,” said Lt. Jason Valentine of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office's Homeland Security Division. I can do it,” he said.
Valentine said the department has 10 drones.
“We have waterproof drones. We have drones that can fly faster. We have drones that can fly indoors,” Valentine said, adding that she desperately wants more drones in her daily police work. Ta.
“There are a lot of things that can happen on a daily basis, such as a missing person or a vehicle pursuit with a suspect fleeing on foot, so we need to set a perimeter to begin searching with a drone,” Valentine said. Ta.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner has long been a strong supporter of technology to fight crime, and Memphis Mayor Paul Young has formed a team to study crime technology.
One of the recommendations in his 112-page transition team report, released earlier this week, is to “widely expand the use of drones” to free up human resources.
The city just graduated 36 new cadets from the academy on Thursday.
The Metropolitan Police Department reports that there are 1,850 active police officers.
Chief Davis said another class of recruits has already been trained and is expected to graduate in about 10 weeks.
I'll be graduating in about 10 weeks.
But the city has spent years trying to reach the desired goal of 2,500 police officers, to no avail. But can drones and other technology help fill the gap in actual police officers?
“I think it helps when it comes to the behind-the-scenes stuff, but in terms of replacing police officers on the street, we don't have the slightest bit of technology to be able to respond to a call for service or show up at your home. Report. Home No technology can comfort victims of domestic violence,” Valentine said.
Mr Valentine said drones could be useful for things like patrolling shopping areas to deter retail theft and reducing the number of police officers needed at large events.
“As more technology comes out, let criminals know we're watching them. We're doing everything we can to make sure bad guys are taken off our streets,” Valentine said. said.
The report says Mayor Young's office needs to release more information about his administration's plans to use technology to fight crime.
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