More drones mean less risk for officers, Sudbury police say

Emergency services in northern Ontario are making more use of drone technology in critical situations, and that use is expected to increase in the coming year.

That's an encouraging sign for front-line officers, says Inspector Marc Brunette with Greater Sudbury Police Services (GSPS).

The GSPS even expects to ramp up the number of officers trained to operate the aircraft — or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) — with an eye on increasing the 8-person team to 12 by 2024.

"We've been going strong since the fall of 2020," Brunette said.

 "And the program is slowly evolving. Technology is getting more accessible, more affordable and with enhancements of technology we've found some great successes early into the program."

In 2023, for example, Brunette said the GSPS has deployed drones on 34 separate occasions.

So far, drones have been deployed during critical emergencies, search and rescue, lost persons, issuing warrants, tactical operations and traffic accident recreation,  Brunette said.

"From an officer safety perspective, when we roll out an integrated response where we have to go into high-risk situations, oftentimes we require a lay of the land or we require an aerial shot of the buildings or the structures," Brunette said.

"Traditionally we put an officer in those positions and now we can deploy the RPAS program and have a glance from a distance."

Const. Jacques Roberge was one of the GSPS' first trained drone pilots, and he's used them in traffic situations, saving hours of road closures while police investigate, or reconstruct, crash scenes.

"You want to be able to grab as much evidence as you can at a scene, because once that scene is released… we can put the vehicles back, but it won't be the same conditions," Roberge said.

"If I took an image from Google Earth, it might have been taken in the summer or might have been taken in the winter. So [drones] give just a true perspective of what we see at the time, and it's the best evidence."

In Moosonee, Volunteer Fire Chief Scott Grant said the use of drones has been a complete "game changer" for the community of 3,000.