Aircraft assisting law enforcement in manhunts - WRCB-TV
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The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office used drones to search for James Farris last week.
Multiple air units were deployed last week during a search for a man on the run from law enforcement with homicide warrants. James Farris was wanted for the killing of a man in East Brainerd Wednesday night. The two-day manhunt ended when a Hamilton County Deputy shot and killed Farris.
The sheriff's office drone played a role in the search efforts. It's not often these drones get used to locate someone on the run from police. But it's been a valuable asset to the sheriff's office the past five years to help locate where the suspect may or may not be.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has been using drones as part of their UAV Program for about five years now. They are most commonly deployed to search for missing children or adults with medical emergencies.
There are cases used to locate someone that's believed to have committed a violent crime and are putting the public in danger.
"It's saved many lives. Because we can take a piece of equipment such as this and put it in place of a human life when you're put in a dangerous situation,” said Marty Dunn, a detective with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.
While the sheriff's office can't comment on the specific search for James Farris last week because it's an active investigation, they say their drones have been very successful in previous manhunts.
"We've been able to clear large parcels of property very quickly from the air with the equipment that's onboard of these aircraft,” Dunn said, "When you can deploy these, you can use human beings on the ground and other locations and cover vast majorities of wooded property and dangerous terrain much faster."
In the search for Farris, a man with active homicide warrants, other agencies deployed technological devices as well. THP had aircraft and the TBI had aviation units out.
"We are allowed to go up to 400 feet. So we cover from 400 feet to the ground. Above that would be any aircraft other law enforcement agencies contributed to the search there,” said Dunn.
All agencies work in coordination with each other so they cover different levels of the atmosphere.
"Have an eye over the area in question at all times," he told us.
The drone can fly for about thirty minutes at a time before coming down to be re-charged. But that's all dependent on the weather.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has the ability to deploy multiple drones at a time during a manhunt.
source: https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/44896115/aircraft-assisting-law-enforcement-in-manhunts
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