PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Portage Public Safety Department will be getting a new eye in the sky after the City Council approved a $255,000 contract for five years of use of the latest police drone to replace the aging remote-controlled aerial platform they now use.
City officials say this new drone has greater range because it uses a cellular connection, rather than radio control.
Assistant Chief Bryan Mayhew says, “This new system is quite a bit better, it’s faster deployment it launches from a base that’s at this point probably going to sit on our public safety roof. Many times it could possibly beat the officer to the scene and get an eye on what they’re seeing.”
Sgt. Kyle Doster, who runs the drone unit, says the infra-red cameras can make all the difference when searching for criminals on foot, lost children, and the elderly.
He also says the new technology will give them the range and the capability to more easily assist other departments as part of their mutual aid pact.
Because it is manufactured by Skydio for AXON, it will interconnect with the city’s evidence storage system, which also links with the body and vehicle cams.
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