WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — The Wheat Ridge Police Department is testing out something new this Fourth of July. They will take to the skies to try and cut down on illegal fireworks use.
The department declined an interview but told 9NEWS that officers with a newly established drone unit would be looking for fireworks and fires.
Public Information Officer Alex Rose said in a statement that they’ll be using drones “to react to community firework concerns and to identify any hotspots that pop up from fires.”
It’s the latest use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, in law enforcement, as more departments begin to use the tool.
“The idea of using drones to spot for illegal fireworks, that’s a great idea, but it will be a challenge,” Greg DePrez said.
DePrez is the Senior UAS Instructor for AEON Unmanned, which teaches hundreds of people each year how to become certified to fly a drone.
He said law enforcement has to follow the same FAA rules as other drone pilots, meaning the department must stay below 400 feet and maintain a visual line of sight on the drones at all times.
“The challenge is they want to do this at night,” he said. “They need to be able to see the drone.”
DePrez said it would also be difficult to pinpoint exactly where fireworks are coming from, but he said the department could get a good idea of a general area if it’s close enough.
“It looks like a very innovative idea,” he said. “Drones are so new and have such incredible capabilities that students in my class are going to graduate and go invent new things for their industries to do with drones, and in the case of law enforcement, that’s happening all the time.”
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Next with Kyle Clark
9NEWS+
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and The Culture Report, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.