Law enforcement technologiesIndustry displays unmanned systems to law maker

Published 27 September 2011

Of the 19,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, only about 300 have aviation units; most law enforcement agencies cannot afford several million dollars for a helicopter, as well as the $1,500 per hour to operate it; UAVs offer a cost-effective solution

Representatives from academia, government, and the private sector who develop and promote unmanned vehicle systems (UVS) came to Capitol Hill last week to offer members of Congress news and insight on the latest UVS technologies.

The Unmanned Systems Caucus Technology & Science Fair was held at the Rayburn House Office Building and was sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

An Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AVUSI) release reports that among those in academia working with UVS is Robin Murphy of Texas A&M University’s Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Center for Robot-Assisted Search & Rescue, who participated in search operations in Japan’s coastal waters following the tsunami that devastated the country on 11 March.

Since not enough divers were available to cover the coastal devastation, which stretched for more than 400 miles, search and rescue teams submersible remote-operated vehicles, such as SeaBotix’s SARbot.

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) System, a Department of Justice-funded organization, supports low-cost aviation technology program seeking to assist state and local law enforcement with unmanned technologies as an alternative to the more traditional aircraft used by law enforcement, said Darian Williams the NLECTC’s project manager.

Of the 19,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, only about 300 have aviation units, Williams said. Not every law enforcement agency can afford several million dollars for a helicopter, as well as the $1,500 per hour to operate it, he added, “So we’re looking at lower cost aviation assets that they might be interested in,” he said, which is why NLECTA has been reviewing unmanned systems. “There’s always a place for an aviation unit within a law enforcement agency,” and with the lower costs of the robotic units, agencies that never considered an aerial unit before can now acquire them, he said.