Drones in Law Enforcement are Force Multipliers...But Not in Isolation!

Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or 'drones' to support law enforcement agencies in addressing violent crime is a case of science fiction rapidly becoming science fact, but it's complicated!

Having worked for over a decade with ShotSpotter in support of anti-poaching and wildlife conservation authorities in South Africa, as well as anti-gang and drug task teams in some of South Africa's most violent urban communities, I can attest to the fact that commercial-grade multi-rotor drones have limitations, particularly when used in isolation.

Let's be clear: a drone is nothing more than a flying camera that, by definition, has to fly to where it's needed - and therein lies the problem.

Considerations for Using Drones in Law Enforcement

Factors such as launch time, distance to the target, flight time, restrictions on autonomous and/or Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight, proximity to controlled airspace, location of electromagnetic interference (EMI) emitting infrastructure like high voltage powerlines, high-rise buildings, height above sea level, and adverse weather conditions are just some of the challenges agencies must consider when considering a drone program.

Here's the facts:

• Launch Time: Unless you're using a ready-to-go nested drone solution (see below), a regular commercial drone stored in a protective case in the back of a response vehicle takes several minutes to deploy - when seconds count, minutes matter!
• Distance to Target: Drones need to get there and back, so the further away from the target area, the less dwell time there will be over the subject, limiting its operational effectiveness.
• Response time: Shootings happen quickly, and given the realities of launch time and distance/time to the target, it's probable that by the time the drone arrives, it's over. The challenge of response time is not unique to drones, and regardless of what asset type is responding, it all begins with having a precise and rapid location of where to respond and what you're responding to.
• Bird's eye view: Aerial surveillance is a highly specialized skill set! As a terrestrial species, humans have evolved to recognize threats viewed on the horizontal plane. Identifying a suspect from above requires extensive training. CCTV cameras are typically deployed at street level, making their use far more intuitive.
• Nested Drones are typically multi-drone systems 'nested' within secure fixed locations close to known hotspots. They respond quickly and precisely and have mission-handover capabilities, allowing one drone to take over as the previous drone's battery runs flat, allowing for uninterrupted dwell time. These systems are expensive and require extensive training, dedicated infrastructure, security, maintenance, and 24/7 manpower to maintain operational readiness. They also require specialized permits governed by complex legislation with rigorous safety policies and procedures. For these reasons, very few, if any, of these systems have ever been deployed beyond proof of concept.
• Aviation Regulations: Worldwide, aviation authorities strictly regulate when, where, and how drones may fly. Drones may never fly in restricted airspace or near airports for obvious safety reasons and it's worth noting that the lower-income communities who are most impacted by gun violence are often close to airports. Also, autonomous and/or Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight is strictly prohibited in most countries.
• Environmental factors: Height above sea level, wind, and rain dramatically reduce flight time. Cloud cover reduces visibility. Highrise buildings get in the way. Flying too close to high-voltage powerlines can cause a drone to lose communication with the operator, resulting in an automatic emergency landing. These factors make an already complex task even more complicated.

Don't get me wrong, drones do have their place! They are particularly useful in planned operations, such as search and rescue, reconnaissance before tactical deployment, fire management, surveillance at public gatherings, evidence gathering during civil unrest, perimeter security during cordon-and-search operations, etc., where the location and time are known and planned in advance.

If cameras (and again, a drone is just a flying camera) are the eyes of modern law enforcement, then ShotSpotter is undoubtedly the ears - and it's the ears that tell the eyes where to look. Without knowing when and where to send a drone or in which direction to PTZ a CCTV camera, the investment in camera technology can never be maximized to its fullest potential.

Add into the mix that in violence-affected communities, around 90% of gunfire goes unreported, meaning that without the ability to reliably and accurately detect and locate gunfire, at best, a drone can only ever respond to 10% of the shootings.

Cape Town, South Africa's second-largest city with a population of almost 5 million people, uses ShotSpotter in several gang-affected communities to help save lives and empower law enforcement to better respond to and thereby interdict and prevent gun violence. They operate an extensive drone fleet and do so successfully, mainly in planned operations, as described above. However, given the limitations of drone technology, they have also recently acquired the services of a fully manned, fixed-wing "eye-in-the-sky" with an advanced long-range thermal imaging capability, several hours of endurance, and the ability to fly by day and night.

Cape Town's approach to modernizing its law enforcement capability has been to build layers of symbiotic technologies that seamlessly support boots-on-the-ground operations and social upliftment programs.

Maximizing Drone Benefits

Drones can significantly benefit public safety as part of a broader law enforcement strategy. Still, agencies must understand their innate strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly, using drones to complement other technologies like ShotSpotter.

To learn more about integrating drones with ShotSpotter and other solutions, contact SoundThinking to learn more about the SafetySmart Platform.

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