SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., and GOLETA, Calif. – Oct. 2, 2024 - On an unusually cold fall night in 2023, Nebraska law enforcement officials found themselves in a high-speed pursuit on the state’s western high plains. They’d been chasing a fugitive wanted in Colorado when the suspect wrecked his vehicle running over a spike strip, and then discharged his firearm at pursuing deputies. He then fled, taking cover in a tumbleweed field located well off the highway.
The night was pitch black, with no visible stars or moon offering visual guidance. Facing an armed and dangerous suspect, law enforcement on the scene called in Sergeant Mark Bliss, leader of the seven-person drone team at the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office.
Sergeant Bliss sprang into action. Within minutes of arriving on the scene, he’d launched the team’s Teledyne FLIR SIRAS drone. Despite temperatures dipping below five degrees Fahrenheit and a stiff wind, Bliss deftly maneuvered the drone above the fields. Its thermal imaging technology located the suspect nearly instantaneously, confirming he was no longer a threat. He’d died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Using the SIRAS flight controller screen, Bliss saw that the suspect was about 200 yards away, directly in front of the deputies who’d set up a perimeter. He directed the deputies through a maze of tumbleweeds to the suspect's exact location. Picking their way in total darkness, the deputies didn’t spot the suspect’s body until they were within four to five yards; the search would have been like finding a needle in a haystack without the help of Bliss and his thermal-equipped drone.
“Although the weeds were so thick and so tall, the thermal video brought out the people really well,” said Bliss. “It was a crazy, intense scenario, but SIRAS saved us tons of time. It also saved a lot of people from danger, and it was all handled within 10 minutes.”
This type of police work would not have been possible in Scotts Bluff County just a few years earlier. The county’s modest budget couldn’t cover the cost of helicopters or other equipment that larger police forces routinely deploy, but the dual thermal-visible payload of the SIRAS and its ruggedized design has proven to be invaluable to the small, rural department, including in helping to quickly and safely locate this suspect despite frigid, windy conditions.
“Without the SIRAS, we would have had to wait for the SWAT team to set a perimeter. Then we would have had to wait for the sun to come up, which would have been several hours afterwards,” explained Sergeant Bliss. “The deputies would have then walked the field, placing themselves in harm’s way.”
The Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office drone team didn’t come together until 2022 when Bliss was tapped to lead the fledgling unit. A military veteran, Bliss had jumped out of planes but had never envisioned himself as a pilot. That changed after twenty years in road patrol. Now a Part 107 certified drone pilot, today he describes himself as an “accidental aviator.” He and his team of pilots rely on SIRAS as their go-to drone for a variety of police activities, including documenting vehicular accidents.
“We used SIRAS during an investigation of a fatal motorcycle accident,” said Bliss. Referencing its IP54 rating and exceptional performance in the wind, he says, “We had about 30 mile-an-hour winds, and it was just dumping rain. I was initially worried to fly it, but SIRAS held its own.”
Bliss also likes that SIRAS is not geofenced and doesn’t require a special sign-in to fly.
When seconds matter, having the confidence that the drone will fly when and where it’s needed offers law enforcement significant peace of mind that the drone will perform as expected.
“I don't have to take the risk of our dog or one of our guys getting hurt, and if something happens to the drone, I can buy a replacement,” said Bliss. “It's definitely a game changer and a force multiplier for us.”
To learn more about the Teledyne FLIR SIRAS, visit: https://www.flir.com/products/siras/
About Teledyne FLIR
Teledyne FLIR, a Teledyne Technologies company, is a world leader in intelligent sensing solutions for defense and industrial applications and has approximately 4,000 employees worldwide. Founded in 1978, the company creates advanced technologies to help professionals make better, faster decisions that save lives and livelihoods. For more information, please visit www.teledyneflir.com or follow @flir.
