ARLINGTON (1080 KRLD) - The Arlington Police Department uses modern-day technology to take down the bad guys.
On March 15, as an Arlington Police SWAT team was executing a search warrant on a narcotics suspect, the suspect tried fleeing out the back door.
But Lt. Christopher Cook says with police armed with a drone, the suspect had no chance.
"We were able to direct our K-9 team right where the suspect threw his backpack and then take him into custody without incident," says Lt. Cook.
Had it not been for the drone, the suspect may still be on the run today.
"If we didn't have the drone, and if we didn't have a perimeter unit, we may not even realize that he had fled out the house," Cook says.
APD: Drones Are Cost-Effective, Make Officers' Jobs Safer
The Arlington Police Department has 12 drones at its disposal, with each costing about $2,000.
"A lot of agencies have manned helicopter units or aviation teams," says Cook. "They're very costly. And so at Arlington PD, we've looked to other alternatives; and namely, we've been utilizing drones."
Along with being much cheaper than flying a helicopter, Cook says drones help make officers' jobs safer.
"Before we had drones, we'd actually have to put officers on the perimeter around the house," says Cook. "There's a little bit more danger element, and it's more resource intensive to do that."
The drones give officers on the ground a bird's-eye view of the scene.
"When the drone's in the air, we have a really large screen," says Lt. Cook, "so you actually embed the SWAT commander right there so he can see a bird's-eye view on exactly what's going on with his operations."
