• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • Improve your pistol-handling skills
      What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
      Do cops need more training?
      Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
      Seeking the right kind of help
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Security guard and former police chief killed in New Hampshire...
        San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
        Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
        Heroic K-9 unit honored at National Dog Show for role in capturing...
        NYPD reports surge in hate crimes against New York’s Jewish...
    • Labor
      • Chicago police unit handling use-of-force reviews faces staffing...
        LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
        “You can’t play politics with public safety”
        “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
        California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary...
    • Tech
      • NYPD explores cutting-edge drone detection vehicle to enhance city...
        The use of military assets by U.S. police
        What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
        Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
        North Carolina schools, businesses to beef up active shooter security...
    • Training
      • Ballistic shields in patrol operations
        Four things you need to know to control escalation
        Series of fires in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mobile shooting...
        Using learning factors to influence your performance
        Lancaster Police Department introduces agility course in recruitment...
    • Policy
      • High-speed chase in Houston claims bystander’s life
        L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term...
        “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”
        “No child should be unsafe in their own city”
        Federal court rules Pennsylvania township’s ban on thin blue line...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Harnessing our strength: Post-traumatic growth
        Scientifically proven ways for cops to thrive
        The depression–anger cycle
        What does it mean to be a sheepdog?
        Depression screening
    • Community
      • Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences...
        New Jersey departments unite for No Shave November
        The nobility of serving
        “The smile is a universal language”
        THC-infused candy incident raises safety concerns in California city
    • Offbeat
      • Meet Sergeant Hank, the Canadian goose boosting morale at an L.A...
        12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
        Bizarre police chase ends with suspect trapped in porta potty
        Jewelry store heist ends in high-speed chase and mystifying response...
        Massachusetts community steps in to protect black bear “Pumpkin”...
    • We Remember
      • Charlotte bridge dedicated to first female casualty in...
        Birmingham community mourns passing of its first Black police...
        “For those who suffered in silence and were lost”
        “You’re my hero”
        Manhattan Beach police officer and Las Vegas shooting survivor...
  • On the Job
    • Security guard and former police chief killed in New Hampshire...
      San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
      Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
      Heroic K-9 unit honored at National Dog Show for role in capturing...
      NYPD reports surge in hate crimes against New York’s Jewish...
  • Labor
    • Chicago police unit handling use-of-force reviews faces staffing...
      LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
      “You can’t play politics with public safety”
      “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
      California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary...
  • Tech
    • NYPD explores cutting-edge drone detection vehicle to enhance city...
      The use of military assets by U.S. police
      What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
      Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
      North Carolina schools, businesses to beef up active shooter security...
  • Training
    • Ballistic shields in patrol operations
      Four things you need to know to control escalation
      Series of fires in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mobile shooting...
      Using learning factors to influence your performance
      Lancaster Police Department introduces agility course in recruitment...
  • Policy
    • High-speed chase in Houston claims bystander’s life
      L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term...
      “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”
      “No child should be unsafe in their own city”
      Federal court rules Pennsylvania township’s ban on thin blue line...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Harnessing our strength: Post-traumatic growth
      Scientifically proven ways for cops to thrive
      The depression–anger cycle
      What does it mean to be a sheepdog?
      Depression screening
  • Community
    • Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences...
      New Jersey departments unite for No Shave November
      The nobility of serving
      “The smile is a universal language”
      THC-infused candy incident raises safety concerns in California city
  • Offbeat
    • Meet Sergeant Hank, the Canadian goose boosting morale at an L.A...
      12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
      Bizarre police chase ends with suspect trapped in porta potty
      Jewelry store heist ends in high-speed chase and mystifying response...
      Massachusetts community steps in to protect black bear “Pumpkin”...
  • We Remember
    • Charlotte bridge dedicated to first female casualty in...
      Birmingham community mourns passing of its first Black police...
      “For those who suffered in silence and were lost”
      “You’re my hero”
      Manhattan Beach police officer and Las Vegas shooting survivor...
  • Between the Lines
    • Debunking the perpetual narrative of racial bias in policing
      The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Tech

West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a bird’s-eye view of crime scenes

APB Team Published February 1, 2023 @ 12:00 pm PST

Dreamstime.com/Crazy Media

West Virginia law enforcement agencies are using drone technology to get a bird’s- eye perspective on investigations ranging from homicides to missing persons.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, its drone unit formed suddenly and unexpectedly.

“The drone unit started off as just a hobby,” Special Deputy Davis Powers told WTAP-TV.

Powers said he was called in to assist with a crime scene investigation when he decided to use a drone to get a view of the scene from above. Now, the department has two drones in the unit.

“It started with, unfortunately, a homicide that happened up in New Matamoras. We used the drone to get footprints of the suspect in the case. We were able to see it from a different angle, and that’s where it started. It went from there to the sheriff’s office investing into a drone, and now we have two,” Powers said.

The Parkersburg Police Department’s drone unit began in similar fashion after Captain Keith Roberts began to incorporate aerial drones into investigations of crime scenes.

“He’s very familiar with them. He was familiar with drones prior to us even acquiring one through the police department, which we’ve had for a couple of years. He was the perfect fit to do that,” Chief Matthew Board said.

Both the Washington and Meigs County sheriff’s offices recently used the aerial technology to locate missing individuals.

“We were able to get on scene, get the drone up in the air. The sun hadn’t come out yet so fortunately our drone has thermal and has a great thermal system. We flew patterns around the residence and the surrounding areas and picked him up in a wooded area. Thankfully we were able to find the individual and sent deputies and EMS to the spot. He was able to get medical help right away,” Powers said of the case.

Board said drones are also useful when it comes to documenting large crime scenes or being able to view an entire property or crash scene from an aerial viewpoint.

“The most typical scenario we use our drone is for documentation purposes in regard to a crime scene or a large area that we would have to document. We’ve used it multiple times for scenarios that are outside with a large landscape where we would want to get the entirety of someone’s property where a crime has happened where we can get an aerial view. Even a crash scene, to document the area in which the crash occurred, like an entire intersection,” Board said.

Some agencies, such as the Wheeling Police Department, received federal grants to start up their drone programs. The city of Wheeling received a Justice Assistance Grant worth $40,000 to purchase a drone and conduct training on how to use the technology. The department’s Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance Team (UART) is composed of five trained officers. The UART’s first real-life use of the technology involved providing security for an event.

Categories: Tech Tags: Law Enforcement, grant, investigation, missing persons, West Virginia, drone technology, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, unmanned aerial vehicle, Davis Powers, Parkersburg Police Department

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • High-speed chase in Houston claims bystander’s life
  • Meet Sergeant Hank, the Canadian goose boosting morale at an L.A. Sheriff’s station
  • Chicago police unit handling use-of-force reviews faces staffing crisis and backlog
  • L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term rentals
  • 12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
  • “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”
  • Bill Alexander Named CEO of National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
  • Charlotte bridge dedicated to first female casualty in Charlotte-Mecklenburg P.D. history
  • Bizarre police chase ends with suspect trapped in porta potty
  • “No child should be unsafe in their own city”

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

Improve your pistol-handling skills

Improve your pistol-handling skills

October 21, 2023

What you need to know about automatic license plate readers

What you need to know about automatic license plate readers

October 20, 2023

Do cops need <em>more</em> training?

Do cops need more training?

October 17, 2023

Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner

Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner

October 16, 2023

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.