By Tara Fischer
Staff Writer
The Town of Berlin’s Police Department will purchase a drone at a cost not exceeding $12,000, per a Berlin Mayor and Council meeting earlier this week.
At the municipality’s Monday, Jan. 27 meeting of the Berlin Town Council, the governing body voted 3-0, with Councilmember Steve Green and Vice President Dean Burrell absent, to authorize a police department drone purchase for under $12,000.
The device, officially known as a DJI Matrice 30T Urban Scout Drone Package from DSLRPros, will be paid for with forfeited funds.
According to Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing, forfeited funds are “funds received from criminal court cases that have all been forfeited through the court themselves, most of them in drug cases.”
Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall emphasized that forfeited funds are not sourced from general taxpayer dollars and that this monetary stash is to pay for the full cost of the drone.
Downing said that the police department currently borrows assistance from other agencies, like the fire marshal’s office, for services that this new drone can now provide.
The device will allow officers to map out any type of traffic accident and crime scene, assist with search and rescue efforts, community outreach, and surveillance for protests and other large gatherings, among a multitude of law enforcement activities.
The police chief indicated that at least three officers will be trained to operate the drone. He added that the department is still unsure what kind of training it will offer and that much of it is likely to be online.
“We are not quite sure what exact training we are going to do,” Downing said. “We are at the point of looking at what the other agencies are doing. We have already decided what we need the actual drone for. We have selected the right one. We have also actually sent out a memo soliciting interest from the officers.”
Downing also noted that the device will have thermal capabilities, which will allow drone users to see in low-light conditions, and through fog and smoke.