With the help of new high-tech drones, the Murrieta Police Department is now aided with a fresh perspective — an unobstructed view from the sky.
The Unmanned Aerial Systems Program, which was launched in July 2023, has already helped police successfully apprehend suspects on the run.
The drones give officers a much-needed aerial view and can arrive at scenes much quicker than a helicopter.
“It’s amazing what a bird’s-eye perspective on something can do to help with your tactical awareness, your situation awareness,” said Lt. Jeremy Durrant.
The system was put to good use just this weekend.
On Saturday at around 2 a.m., an alarm went off at Quinn Company Caterpillar, a construction equipment dealer located on the 41000 block of Raintree Court.
Surveillance video showed two men tampering with vehicles inside the business. When officers arrived at the scene, the suspects fled.
Little did the suspects know, they were being trailed by a drone that was using thermal technology to track their every move.
“The subjects ran through an area that officers on foot couldn’t follow them through,” Durrant explained.
Rather than officers attempting a foot chase, the drone operator instead directed police to the suspects’ getaway vehicle that was parked on an adjacent street.
“So the drone operator saw, clear as day, them get into their vehicle, drive away, and was able to tell the officers on foot, ‘Hey, he’s driving away in this direction,'” Durrant said. “They were able to catch up to them pretty quickly in their vehicles.”
The suspects drove off at high speeds while the drone followed closely behind. Officers were eventually able to stop the vehicle and apprehend the three suspects found inside.
They were identified as Jeffrey Hiller, 67, Ronald Harrison, 67, and Chris Rood, 59.
Authorities said the successful outcome may have turned out differently had officers not been equipped with a drone.
In the six months the program has been in use, Durrant said officers have seen success in a range of cases, including the quick apprehension of suspects hiding from police and using the drones to observe drug transactions.
The three suspects apprehended with the help of a drone were arrested on charges including vehicle tampering, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting or delaying a peace officer and more.
The Police Department said, in the future, it hopes to introduce a role that would specifically be in charge of listening to scanners and deploying a drone immediately to the scene.