Law Enforement Applications

Advice & Information

Law Enforement Applications - Part 1

FLIR infrared imaging cameras have been successfully used by a number of major law enforcement agencies in recent years. Until recently, FLIR cameras has generally been a tool for aviation units. Mounted on a helicopter, a FLIR binocular or digital goggle fusion camera could assist in pursuits and Search and Rescue missions. The systems were still expensive and somewhat cumbersome. Because aviation units were most likely to respond to situations where FLIR imagers could be of use, this was a logical use of this resource.

More recently, law enforcement agencies have begun experimenting with FLIR infrared cameras mounted on ground vehicles or as independent, handheld units. Lubbock, Texas, has FLIR infrared imaging cameras integrated into their canine vehicles. A canine vehicle is likely to become involved in search or pursuit operations, so deploying ground vehicle systems with these units makes sense. As technologies improve and costs continue to decrease, it may be more common to see ground vehicle mounted or handheld FLIR infrared cameras being used to support a wide variety of law enforcement applications. As a tool to assist in either pursuits or Search and Rescue missions, FLIR infrared thermal cameras offers several advantages to police organizations. While it was designed for use during operations taking place at night or under obscured visibility conditions, FLIR thermal imagers can also be used during day light hours. For example, a search for a missing child or a fleeing suspect might lead to a farm field. Depending on the nature and density of the foliage, an aviation unit equipped with FLIR IR thermography cameras might be able to locate a child or suspect who might otherwise be hidden from plain view, even during daylight hours.

Many FLIR thermal infrared imaging cameras are designed to videotape what the operator sees. In addition, units may also serve as daylight video recording systems. These features allow officers to generate evidence which might be very helpful in prosecution. For example, a helicopter equipped with FLIR sensor could assist ground vehicles in a high-speed pursuit of a stolen automobile. As soon as the helicopter arrived in the area of the pursuit, it could begin to record the events occurring on the ground. The system could videotape the infrared image of the driver "bailing" from the vehicle and fleeing into a residential neighborhood. The system could continue to videotape the suspect as he fled through backyards and assist aviation personnel in directing officers on the ground in order to make an apprehension.

Having the chase on tape would provide incontrovertible proof that the suspect taken into custody was indeed the driver of the stolen vehicle (and not an innocent citizen "looking for a runaway cat"). Because the system is not dependent on the use of a search light (which might produce shadows and distortions on a videotape), it might also show that officers used appropriate force in taking a suspect into custody, thus limiting potential liability.