A Cessna 172 equipped with an infrared camera will allow the Lancaster Sheriff's Department to target a criminal act from as high as 3,000 feet above ground level and record what is happening below.
The plane will fly up to 10 hours a day and the recorded video will be stored in-house for two years, officials said. The department calls the Law Enforcement Aerial Platform, or LEAPS, an addition to their force.
“The city hasn't reduced the amount of cars that we have out there in order to fund this project. This is an addition to what's always been funded,” said Cpt. Bob Jonsen of the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station.
The technology comes from Lancaster-based and veteran-owned Aero View. The company will pay for the first year of services and operation.
The city spent $1.3 million on the project but despite the investment, residents say they don’t approve of the aerial version of Big Brother.
“It's a straight violation of the fourth amendment; it's a violation of my privacy,” said resident David Abber.
Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris, who pushed for the implementation of LEAPS, disagrees.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
“I think Google is far more invasive,” said Parris.
The Mayor insists the equipment, while advanced, is not as sophisticated as others, adding that there is accountability across the board. Everyone, including the officers themselves will be watched, he said.
“Everything it sees it records. The operators are going to be audited there isn't going to be anybody looking in their girlfriend’s backyard because there is a record of it,” Parris said.
The city’s goal is to eventually put a monitor in each patrol car so that officers can have a bird’s-eye view as they approach a scene.
Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: iPhone/iPad App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts
