Drones will soon track suspects in Lake Norman town, police chief says
Mooresville police will soon deploy drones to track robbery and theft suspects running or driving from the scenes of their crimes, Police Chief Ron Campurciani said.
A trained drone dispatcher will simply press a button and release a drone from police headquarters at U.S. 21 and Brawley School Road/West Wilson Avenue, Campurciani told the Mooresville Citizens Academy on Sept. 24.
The six-week academy, free to town residents, gives an inside look at various town departments. A Charlotte Observer reporter signed up for this year’s academy and was present when Campurciani announced the drone initiative.
The drones will zip along at 58 mph, meaning they can often get to a crime scene faster than an officer, the chief said. The drone will tail the person until officers arrive, he said.
The drone will be given the description of the suspect as called into police 911 by the person reporting the crime, he said.
The police department is among only 12 in the nation deploying such drones, Campurciani told the group of about 25 residents. He didn’t name the other communities.
Observer files public records request
The department expected its shipment of drones this week, the chief said.
He said a news conference will be held after dispatcher training.
That could be a few weeks from now, town spokeswoman Rika White said when the Observer later requested more details about the drones from the chief.
On Sept. 26, the Observer filed a public records request for any drone contract and the name of the provider. The Observer hadn’t received a reply from the town by Wednesday, Oct. 1; state public records law says responses should be done as promptly as possible.