Collierville board approves drones for police and fire
The Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen have unanimously approved the implementation of a Public Safety Unmanned Aircraft System for the town's police and fire departments.
Collierville Police Department Chief Dale Lane asked the board to create the unmanned aircraft team to help keep law enforcement officials safe while in the line of duty.
Lane said the drones could be used in multiple situations including mass casualty events, missing persons, disaster response and recovery, and post-incident crime scene preservation and documentation.
"The team would be available for not only critical incidents of emergency nature but also inspections of critical infrastructure," the police chief said. "This is keeping us from pushing our people into more dangerous situations when they don't have to."
Lane said the team — which would be made up of one lieutenant, three police officers and three firefighters — would enhance law enforcement officers' performance and safety in dangerous situations.
"We have an opportunity to leverage technology to make the jobs of our police officers and firefighters much safer going into very dangerous areas," Lane said.
Bartlett Police Department will train the teams for free, he said, and funding for the system will come from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act grant. Lane said the funding would not exceed $32,000.
Alderman John Stamps said the use of the aircraft will be a great addition to the police and fire departments.
"It has a lot of different capabilities from search and rescue to overseeing any police activities that may not warrant a live person going in," Stamps said. "I think it will be a very welcomed complement to our police force."