Page 19 - City of El Centro :: Winter 2021 Community Newsletter

El Centro Police Department’s
The technology can fundamentally change how we respond to a wide range of critical incidents and help keep the community safe.
While UAS may provide several possible crime prevention capabilities, as a community asset, the UAS can improve both community and officer safety while decreasing the cost of vital police operations. Other key benefits include; locating lost persons, protect police officers during searches for armed suspects, reduce the time needed to process crime and accident scenes, and assist our fire department with fire suppression efforts.
The El Centro Police Department realizes public trust is paramount to the use of any technology. To address privacy concerns, we have developed a robust policy to ensure the privacy of our citizens. The policy strictly prohibits the use of UAS “to conduct random surveillance activities,” meaning the UAS will only be utilized for mission-specific purposes and only with supervisor approval. The policy also prohibits equipping the UAS with facial recognition technology.
Input from our community is important to us; we would love to hear questions, comments, or any other feedback from our community. Please email Deputy Chief Robert Sawyer at rsawyer@ecpd.org with your thoughts or comments.
Unmanned Aerial System
The El Centro Police Department is considering the benefits of adding an unmanned aerial system (UAS) to enhance police operations and public safety for our community. Many agencies across the country have successfully implemented UAS programs with overwhelming community support.
Those agencies that are currently utilizing this technology have discovered a UAS has increased operational efficiency, improved officer safety, and provided greater level of service to the community. The most significant advantage to UAS in law enforcement is the ability to quickly evaluate rapidly evolving incidents, which provides officers with real-time information to make critical decisions in the field. From hazardous spills, surveying possible critical infrastructure damage, and responding to other mass-casualty threats.
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