Pubdate: Fri, 14 Sep 2012
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Graeme McNaughton

'EASY TO SPOT' MARIJUANA WITH DRONES: HALTON POLICE

744 Plants Found

Spotting marijuana plants from the sky isn't difficult, says Sgt. 
Jeff Leder of the Halton Police guns and gangs unit, and it's a lot 
easier than hunting through thick brush on foot.

That's where drones come in handy in the war on drugs.

On Tuesday, officers used one of the unmanned aerial vehicles to 
locate 744 marijuana plants - with a street value of about $1,000 per 
plant - in a field in the north end of Milton.

"It's pretty easy to spot." said Sgt. Leder. "A lot of the spots 
these growers pick are in farm fields." The dark green marijuana 
plants stand out against the other plants, typically corn.

"A lot of these areas are fairly remote and swampy," he added. 
"[There's] a lot of brush, and it is tough for officers to get in 
there and remove the plant. Seeing from the air, we can get a better 
idea of where to go in and walk in directly."

Halton Police have had the drone since 2009, said Sgt. David Cross, 
and have used it for a variety of purposes, including monitoring 
crime scenes, crash investigations and search and rescue.

The drone runs on batteries that provide 25 minutes of flight time, 
according to the manufacturer, Aeryon Labs of Waterloo. The unit 
returns to its starting point when it detects that the battery is low.

Halton police say the drone is stored in a warehouse and brought out 
only when the need arises.

Aeryon Labs does not disclose how many police forces are using its 
drones, but a spokesperson did say it sells its product to various 
clients, including military, civilian and police.

The Aeryon Scout, used by the Halton police, is a small, lightweight 
mini-helicopter that is remote-controlled from the ground using a 
touch screen control pad. The drone allows police to watch video in real time.

A commercial unit of the Scout sells for $60,000, with costs varying 
for military and police units depending on the configuration. There 
is also an option to lease the Scout.

"A helicopter would have been used in these operations, but due to 
budget cuts, the Scout would be used instead," says Ian McDonald, VP 
of marketing at Aeryon. "Traditionally, we're replacing the role of a 
helicopter."

Toronto police don't have either. If the force needs a helicopter, it 
gets one from York Regional or Durham Regional police services. 
Const. Victor Kwong said Toronto police are either billed directly 
for the use of the helicopters, or it trades man hours, such as use 
of the marine division.

Well-off civilians, meanwhile, aren't excluded from drone use, but 
they wouldn't be able to fly it straight out of the box.

"In Canada, anyone conducting UAV operations is required to obtain 
and comply with the provisions of a Special Flight Operations 
Certificate," says Kelly James of Transport Canada.

Certificates must be obtained through Transport Canada at least four 
weeks before the proposed use of the UAV.
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