NCJ Number
195404
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 69 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2002 Pages: 42-43,46,49
Date Published
June 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes how the Waynesboro Police Department (Virginia) drew upon imaging technologies to create a safer, more effective method for operating tactically in the dark.
Abstract
The department secured both night-vision and thermal-imaging equipment. Night vision aided in the identification of criminal activity and suspects in situations of darkness; and thermal imaging helped officers detect criminal activity and perform search and rescue functions. Before the department could realize the benefits of imaging technologies, however, it had to overcome issues that involved cost, training, and the lawful use of the equipment in the field. Securing adequate funding was the greatest obstacle to obtaining the technology. Ultimately, the department was able to secure third-generation night-vision equipment by using drug seizure money. Later, a thermal imaging device was procured under the U.S. Army transfer grant program. Only minimal training was required to use the image intensification (night vision) equipment. The single thermal imaging device came in its own hardened case, so it was immediately deployable. A single officer was assigned to the care, handling, and training for the device. This officer joined a thermal imaging users group to learn more about the issues and uses of the technology nationwide. Training was the key to making the device practical for use in the patrol unit. After several months, the department overcame the obstacles and found that the devices worked extraordinarily well. The use of the thermal imaging device must conform to legal mandates, notably that set by the U.S. Supreme Court in Kyllo v. United States (2001), in which the Court held that thermal imaging surveillance of a private home constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment, thus requiring a warrant.