NPS-DDP.org Mission is to help keep Search & Rescue ( SAR) / Public Safety & Communities Safer through Drone Technology

Just a few ways Drone programs help departments & communities

Better situational awareness Fast deployment
Fleeing suspects, missing persons / Thermal search
Crime investigations / S.W.A.T
Tactical / bomb & warrant operations
Disaster recovery / Hazmat issues
Loss of life accident reconstruction
Mapping of soft target facilities, schools, hospitals, Large Complex
Special events crowd coverage
Keeps officers out of harm's way

Thank you for standing with us and supporting those who give so much.

The Drone Donation Request

At the current time, South Strabane Township does not have any type of expedient air support that could respond to an emergency at our agency or any nearby. Based on information from our county emergency center, air support with a Thermal camera would require anywhere from 1-2 hours wait.

South Strabane Township, PA is approximately 23 square miles and has just under 10,000 residents. We have a vast land area consisting of multiple business plazas, shopping outlets, residential housing complexes, housing communities (ranging from close proximity type living to spacious farm properties), and many square miles of wooded areas. We have several state routes, and local roads, with main highways that run through the Township being Interstate 70, Interstate 79, State Route 136, State Route 40, and State Route 19. We have a very significant number of vehicle crashes on these, as well as our numerous local roads.

Several of the homes officers respond to in the rural areas have long driveways which create a high officer safety risk during dangerous calls for service. A UAS would give us the ability to get a safe view before sending officers into a fatal funnel situation, thereby better protecting the lives of officers and suspects alike.

Our department, and nearby departments, have had suspects flee from police into our wooded areas, requiring officers to search the woods with flashlights at night. We have also searched large fields and wooded areas for missing persons. This is especially important given our numerous assisted living and elder care facilities housing people with mental deterioration. A UAS would be greatly useful in these searches to supplement manpower and cover harder-to-reach areas, while reducing the time it takes to search fields and wooded areas, locating the person we are looking for faster.

South Strabane Police Department also has a lot of special details and very busy shopping seasons/events in areas with large parking lots and/or business layouts where a high volume of thefts occur and suspects often flee before officers are able to arrive. A UAS could be utilized to help officers get the get an image of suspects and suspect vehicles, to help in apprehension, thereby making these events safer for the guests/customers.

A UAS would give us the ability to allocate resources in all types of police work to include, but not limited to:

Bomb or Suspicious Packages
Crime Scene Investigations
Criminal Investigations
Critical Incident Management
Community Relations
Crowd Control
Locating Suspects
Major Accident Investigations
Missing Persons Investigations
Perimeter Searches and Security
Search and Rescue
Search Warrants
Special Events
Training

We have one pilot who has completed FAA Part 107 commercial drone operator training. However, budget limitations restrict the funding needed to begin a UAS/Drone program.

The UAS that would fit our needs is the DJI M3T (or comparable equipment from another manufacturer) the smart or RC Pro remote, a carry case, and extra batteries to support the time the UAS would need to be airborne for missions.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Officer Tony Gismondi

Badge #48

South Strabane Township Police Department

South Strabane Township Police Department

By National Public Safety Drone Donation Program

South Strabane Township Police Department

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