“Eyes in the Sky” Find Missing Man in Waterloo, Canada

When a 38-year-old man went missing in Waterloo, Canada, on November 19, local law enforcement turned to an airborne solution by FLIR—a remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) with a thermal imaging camera—to search the area and found the man safe later the same day.

The agency uses its SkyRanger, a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS), to conduct a variety of law enforcement and public safety activities, including evidence collection at crime scenes, reconstruction of serious collisions, search and rescue operations, and monitoring of large gatherings.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service reported it used its RPV for eight investigations during October, including four suspect searches and four serious collisions. The drone’s activity and flight updates can be viewed on the agency’s RPV Twitter page.

With search & rescue operations, the sooner search efforts start, the better the chance of a successful outcome. For over a decade, FLIR has established a reputation for developing the leading small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) for public safety organizations around the world. FLIR sUAS can be airborne within minutes of first responders arriving on scene, and include both infrared and daylight cameras to help spot people hidden under dense tree cover and in rough terrain. 

In addition to hands-on pilot training and dedicated customer support, FLIR partners with law enforcement and fire operators around the world to build successful UAS programs that save time, resources, and lives by enabling operators to quickly visualize an impacted area and make real-time decisions.