EASTHAM — When a Truro resident with Alzheimer’s went missing on Monday, a fleet of at least three drones was dispatched to join the search — one from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s office, one owned by the Truro Fire Dept., and one that had been newly purchased by the Eastham Police Dept. It was the first time Eastham’s new drone had been sent to a search and rescue call, said Police Chief Adam Bohannon.
The drones did not find the person in this case — officers on the ground did, according to Truro Fire Chief Tim Collins — and the person was transported to Cape Cod Hospital for evaluation.
The Eastham police had announced their new drone purchase earlier in July, posting on social media that the “unmanned aircraft system” would be used for accident reconstruction, search and rescue, emergency management, and event planning.
Just over half of the $5,000 cost of the drone was paid for with an emergency management preparedness grant from the Mass. Emergency Management Agency.
Two Eastham police officers have received remote pilot licenses from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and one more is in training, said Bohannon.
“It’s something that we’ve been wanting to pursue for a while,” Eastham Deputy Chief Daniel Deschamps told the Independent, adding that Eastham had applied for the state grant because of the high number of accidents on Route 6. According to both Bohannon and Deschamps, the drone will be especially helpful in accident reconstruction.
Being able to photograph a crash scene from above eliminates the need to diagram the scene by hand, Deschamps said, which allows the road to be reopened more quickly.
The Eastham police had previously been requesting assistance from the sheriff’s drone, which sometimes took as long as two hours to arrive on scene, Bohannon said.
In addition to regular cameras, the drone is outfitted with infrared cameras and a loudspeaker. Deputy Deschamps said the loudspeaker could be used to broadcast instructions to a kayaker or windsurfer in distress or ask if they are in need of assistance — a job that used to require officers to get into boats and approach within shouting distance.
On June 16, the Truro Fire Dept. used its drone to search for a hit and run suspect who fled the scene of a crash in Wellfleet and hid in a nearby marsh.
Police canine units and the infrared camera on Truro’s drone were used on that call, although neither actually found the suspect in that case, according to Wellfleet Police Lt. Jeremiah Valli. The man came out of the marsh on his own about an hour after the search began, Valli said.
The Wellfleet Police Dept. does not have a drone. “We have two drones on either side of us, so it’s just not a high priority right now,” Valli said.
Police and fire departments operating drones are subject to the FAA’s rule 107, which applies to small unmanned aircraft systems under 55 pounds. Rule 107 specifies, among other things, that drones cannot be flown above people not participating in an operation and cannot be flown near other aircraft.
Bohannon said the police dept. does not have to send out any kind of public notice when a drone is in the air. But Collins told the Independent that drones cannot be used for surveillance.
Truro bought its drone about three years ago, Collins said, and it has been used to detect small brush fires, find persons of interest, and assess storm damage. Four members of the Truro Fire Dept. have completed the training required for remote flying licenses.
Collins declined to estimate how many times per month Truro’s drone is in the air. “It varies,” he said. “It’s just a good thing to have in our arsenal.”
