The Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) recently used a UAS to help apprehend a murder suspect.

According to DBPD Officer and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Professor Anthony Galante, the UAS served as a “force multiplier,” providing a lookout for the six-person team trained to apprehend the suspect.

“Six officers were able to go in the front and confront the suspect,” Galante says. “He was really outnumbered, and he surrendered.”
 
Back in 2017, DBPD, with help from Embry-Riddle, launched its UAS program. The department’s five UAS help with a number of tasks, including arresting dangerous suspects, providing an aerial view during search and rescue operations, and providing sophisticated damage assessments of a hurricane.

The UAS also provide a bird’s-eye view and infrared heat mapping of a burning building for firefighters trying to train their hoses effectively and avoid walking near hot spots on the building’s roof. 

“Having a UAS program can absolutely make a community safer,” says DBPD Sgt. Tim Ehrenkaufer. “Catching criminals, removing the threat of them re-vicitimizing. Watching over crowds during large events, like the Daytona 500 or Daytona Bike Week.” 

Galante adds that using the UAS allows the department to “save people’s lives and make the job safer.” 

An assistant professor of aeronautical science, specializing in UAS, at Embry-Riddle, Galante is also the DBPD's aviation safety officer.

Having retired from full-time work with the force in 2015, Galante notes that the department’s trained aviation officers conduct a risk assessment before every flight, which produces a score that indicates a course of action, including not taking off at all. 

“When shots are fired, we’re running toward the gunfire, so we’re used to risk,” Galante says. “But we don’t take unnecessary risks. Ever.”