The Arlington Police Department is seeking City Council approval tonight to use just over $202,000 in federal grant funding to purchase two small unmanned aircraft.
The aircraft, known as Leptron Avengers, are battery-operated helicopters designed to take high-resolution video and photos and that can be equipped with night-vision cameras or thermal-imaging equipment.The city, working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Justice Department, is participating in a national evaluation program to help develop training and equipment standards for agencies to use the aircraft as crime-fighting tools.Arlington police tested a few different unmanned aircraft systems this year but favored the Leptron Avenger, an 11-pound, 58-inch electric helicopter that can fly up to 40 mph, said police spokeswoman Tiara Ellis Richard said. The devices, operated by remote control, are able to a automatically return to their starting point if they lose communication with the remote control."The technology fit our needs," Richard said.During the testing phase, Arlington's flight area is restricted to secured, city-owned land at the north end of Lake Arlington. The city plans to seek FAA authorization to deploy the aircraft next year in actual missions, Richard said."We are only training in that one area. We are not using it for police work at all," Richard said.The aircraft could be used for situations such as search and rescue, multi-car pileups or to help officers determine if a barricaded suspect has a weapon, police have said. The surveillance equipment would not be used for routine patrols.Susan Schrock, 817-709-7578
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