THUNDER BAY — City police are "droning on" with more training, this time for more trained officers using the service's multiple remote-piloted aircraft.
Constable Tom Armstrong has been training eight TBPS officers over the last few days on using the Services' drones.
Newswatch dropped in on their training at the Kakabeka volunteer fire station to see what officers were learning.
Armstrong said the officers being trained in this round are from various units, "This group has six from primary response, and two officers are in the traffic unit, adding to our existing team of drone pilots with the service."
He added there are already 14 officers certified and trained on the drones, bringing the total to 20 available when needed.
The two drones that officers are getting trained on are primarily used to search for missing persons and subjects, creating reconstructions of collisions and getting aerial footage of a scene.
"The capabilities of this drone with a thermal day and night is just remarkable," Armstrong added that it helps officers to capture better evidence and is very efficient.
"It allows us to clean up major collision scenes, to open roads faster ... it's a really handy tool."
Armstrong added that having more officers trained to use the drones will significantly benefit the service as drone kits can travel easily in cruisers to scenes, and can be set up within 60 seconds of arriving.
The larger drone is very sturdy and has the capability to withstand more severe types of weather scenarios, as well as thermal imaging capabilities.
The medium-sized version has the same features but is smaller and can handle still handle some adverse weather conditions.
The video below shows what officers did during a nighttime training session at Junot Park on March 17.
Officers in the four-day training session learn about flying techniques, identify and follow safety precautions, and practice different types of scenarios during daylight hours and after dark.
