US police combine drones with Zoom for real-time response

An Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) tethered to a truck hovers near the US Capitol during a test conducted by the US Capitol Police on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Oceanside Fire Department was the first agency in the city to use Zoom with drones and suggested that their police counterparts try it out. — AP

For law enforcement missions, drones bring the undeniable advantage of letting an officer see what a bird can see. Whether for search and rescue or suspect apprehension, the perspective a drone grants to human eyes can mean the difference between a life preserved and a life extinguished.

The beach team officers in Oceanside, California, grasped this advantage early on when they began using drones to locate missing children.