Greater Sudbury Police getting ready to launch two drones into service

Greater Sudbury Police is just weeks away from launching its first drones into the air.

Inspector Dan Despatie says officers are keen to include this equipment in their policing toolbox.

He says they've trained eight officers to pilot the drones, also known as 'remotely piloted aircraft systems' or R-PAS

"So we're going to have two R-PAS units deployable," he said. "We've got members of our search and rescue unit trained. We've got members of our forensics unit trained. We've got members of our traffic management unit trained. And we've got members of our tactical or emergency response units trained." 

Despatie says officers took a one-week training course, which included getting licensed through Transport Canada.

He says the drones will be used in a number of ways:

"Search for lost, missing persons, to do evidence gathering at serious motor vehicle collision scenes, also for evidence gathering, photographs, videos at outdoor crime scenes."

Despatie says this "bird's eye view" will give officers a different perspective.

"And with the forward-looking infrared, [that] helps us at night or during the day. And at the same time, we can cover a larger area in a short amount of time." 

Greater Sudbury police are following in the footsteps of many other Canadian police agencies that have incorporated drones into their kit.

"Any officer will tell you that any piece of equipment they can get that helps them in their role and potentially makes us more successful — whether that be gathering evidence, saving somebody's life — is a good thing," Despatie said.

"It's a good thing. It's a progressive thing. And I think it shows that the Greater Sudbury Police Services is a progressive organization. And we're doing what we can for community safety and well-being. From a technology perspective, this is a step in the right direction. Not only am I excited about it, but our team is extremely excited about it and the community should be as well."