Police UAV program takes off

Mountain Brook Police Chief Ted Cook would love to have a helicopter at his department’s disposal. A chopper could allow MBPD to surveil the city from above, further augmenting its capabilities. 

But, Cook said, that’s simply not feasible for a department as small as his. Nevertheless, he’s found a strong alternative.  

In April, MBPD launched its small unmanned aircraft systems program. Using four unmanned aircraft vehicles, or UAVs, the program enables the department to have an eye in the sky. 

“It didn’t take long for us to recognize the value of being able to use it and, if for nothing else, to get some good aerial photos of some scenes,” Cook said.

Cook said the department plans to deploy the UAVs, as needed, for a variety of tasks. Likely uses include conducting search and rescue missions, patrolling city events, taking aerial photos of crash scenes and performing reconnaissance in hazardous situations, such as standoffs. 

“If I can use technology to keep anyone, whether it’s a citizen or a police officer, safe, I would rather break that piece of technology than have one of us get hurt,” said Chris Thompson, an MBPD sergeant who has overseen the program’s development. 

Thompson began looking into UAVs — which cost the department around $12,000 — in late 2016, around the time a Mountain Brook resident donated one to the department. He then spent the better part of two years researching and building the program from the ground up. Thompson’s main task was to ensure the department complied with Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, which proved challenging. Part of the department’s jurisdiction is in  FAA-controlled airspace due to its proximity to the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. 

“Our biggest concern is the safety of the people,” Thompson said. “If we can’t do this safely, we don’t need to do this at all, and I’ve gotten us to the point where we can do that.”

Cook said the department will aim to have seven police officers who are certified UAV pilots. As of June, six had already earned their certification. 

“We had more requests to do it than we had positions,” Cook said. 

Two certified pilots must be present for UAV flights, with one flying and the other serving as a visual observer who provides feedback to the pilot. Thompson said the UAVs can fly continuously for 20 to 30 minutes but must stay under 400 feet, per the FAA’s mandate. He said that will be more than enough elevation. 

“I think the equipment capabilities at this point have probably surpassed what we generally will use them for,” Thompson said. 

The department will fly the UAVs for practice every few months at the city’s fire and police training facility. It contains a fire tower, old vehicles and plenty of open space that will allow pilots to simulate a number of situations they could encounter in the field. The department hasn’t had to deploy its new technology yet, but Cook and Thompson said there was a close call earlier this summer when two people went missing on the Cahaba River. Authorities discovered them before the UAVs took flight. 

“I’m ready to go,” Thompson said. “I think the minute it does something and potentially saves a life...I think the whole thing will pay for itself.”