Imagine you’re a first responder and you can obtain an aerial view of a crash site before arriving on the scene. Or you can rely on thermal imaging to gain insight into an active house fire or to search for a missing person at night.
All of this and more is now possible thanks to the Strongsville Police Department’s Drone Unit (SPDU), which is made up of six drones and seven federally licensed commercial drone pilots.
The program, which was first implemented in 2019, aims to provide immediate information to officers or first responders so they can more effectively perform their tasks, says Steven Vanek, detective, Strongsville Police Department, and drone unit coordinator. In 2024, the SPDU expanded its capabilities to generate 2D and 3D scans of crash and crime scenes.
“Drone use in a first-responder setting was on the rise in 2019, and we took the initiative to purchase a drone and begin developing a program, observing national trends in their use and a dramatic decline in the cost to operate a program,” Vanek says.
Vanek notes that the Strongsville Police Department can utilize the drones for a variety of tasks, including:
• Vehicle crash investigation and reconstruction
• Crime scene investigation and documentation
• Fire emergency monitoring
• Search-and-rescue missions
• Enhanced security at events
• Pursuit of fleeing suspects
The department has also used the technology to conduct traffic surveys and chart large community functions for safety planning purposes.
“The SPDU understands that being on the cutting edge of first-responder technology means that we must be judicious in our operations and constantly evolving our policies and operations,” Vanek says. “We are constantly looking forward, striving to exceed the expectations of our residents, visitors and first responders.”
