TECHNOLOYWhat if Law Enforcement Could ‘See’ Through Walls?
New technology allows law enforcement to easily and safely identify whether any individuals are inside a room when direct line-of-sight is not an option. This is especially critical when conducting breaching operations, searching for trafficked individuals or in potential hostage situations, where the device gives responders precious intelligence and situational awareness while reducing the risk of physical harm to themselves.
The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working on a tool that will provide first responders a better situational awareness when assessing an incident scene.
S&T is working with MaXentric Technologies LLC to enhance their Detect Presence of Life (DePLifeTM) technology, which is specifically designed to do just that—allow law enforcement to easily and safely identify whether any individuals are inside a room when direct line-of-sight is not an option. This is especially critical when conducting breaching operations, searching for trafficked individuals or in potential hostage situations, where the device gives responders precious intelligence and situational awareness while reducing the risk of physical harm to themselves.
Why First Responders Need to Detect the Presence of Life
“There are many reasons why first responders need to know whether people are present in a structure, and how many are there,” said Anthony Caracciolo, S&T program manager for First Responder Technology. “First and foremost, for their operational awareness and safety. Also, to quickly get to an injured person, or to chart the best tactical course of action to take to free individuals hidden by human traffickers.”
“It is important for law enforcement and firefighters to use such technology because we want to know what’s behind a wall when we go in,” said Diego Herrera of the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Department in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “We all want to go home at the end of the shift. Too many of our guys have died going into dangerous buildings.”
S&T’s First Responder Resource Group (FRRG) first identified a need for a hands-free version of this kind of tool. Although such detection devices exist, they require someone to operate them manually, and law enforcement officers need their hands free for other purposes. For the last 30 years, technologies detecting presence of life have evolved, becoming smaller, more efficient and less costly, with better operating times as batteries improved. But the technology still needs improvements related to ease of use, ruggedness and detection precision.
“Our objective is to enhance these existing technologies to allow them to be operated hands-free or even remotely—operating the technology should not require the user to be placed directly in a hazardous environment,” Caracciolo said. “However, current detection technologies must be stationary to ‘see’ through walls. And no one has solved the hands-free, mobility requirement.”