Modesto police focus on drones instead of high-tech plane
A National Transportation Safety Board report about last year’s airplane crash that killed a Tulare County sheriff’s deputy and the pilot said the plane apparently fell nearly straight down before the crash.
The crash and investigation have relevance here because the Modesto Police Department had been working closely with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department on establishing its own aviation program and was considering buying the same type of aircraft. Those plans were placed on hold after the Feb. 10 crash.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, but the report indicates investigators are examining whether the plane stalled. The aircraft was a Flight Design CTLS, a light sport aircraft designed for law enforcement. The report and other documents will be used by investigators to write a probable cause report that will come out in the coming weeks or months.
Modesto police Chief Galen Carroll said in an email that his department has concentrated its efforts on developing what it calls an unmanned aerial vehicle program, also known as drones. The department has two of them in use. Carroll said the department is working to obtain Federal Aviation Administration approval to fly the drones at night, which he said will help officers search for suspects who may use the darkness to avoid capture.
Carroll has said the drones would not be used for random surveillance but specific operations, such as search and rescues and crime scene investigations.
The drones also are considerably less expensive than a Flight Design CTLS. Police officials have said the drones cost about a couple of thousands dollars each. The department brought forward a proposal to the City Council in late 2015 to spend as much as $660,000 to purchase the high-tech plane that would patrol the city. The proposal ran into resistance from council members and the public.
The Fresno Bee’s Lewis Griswold and The Modesto Bee’s Kevin Valine contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 15, 2017 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Modesto police focus on drones instead of high-tech plane."