Kenora officer uses crime fighter in sky

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Const. Marc Sharpe of the Ontario Provincial Police detachment’s forensic services unit in Kenora operates the remote-controlled, helicopter-like Draganflyer used for aerial photos of crime scenes and auto crashes. Saskatoon police have also contracted with the manufacturer to use the aircraft. (TOM THOMSON / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

KENORA -- Picture a hatching dragonfly -- it crawls from a lake as a black beetle, emerges all dewy from a small hole in the beetle's back, and unwrinkles its body and wings in about an hour.

By comparison, the remote-control Draganflyer that OPP Const. Marc Sharpe uses takes just 10 seconds to assemble: Take it from its case, unfold its wings, and presto! the little crime fighter is in the air.

Sharpe operates the first unmanned aerial system (UAS) -- it's built like a mechanical dragonfly but flies like a mini-helicopter -- by a North American police force. It's also the best crime-fighting toy on any police force, as far as he's concerned.

"My idea was to bring my hobby to work, but I had no idea I would get this deep into it. We're now getting calls from Hawaii, Italy, some other European countries, for information," Sharpe said.

Why would a police force based in a small city like Kenora have the first remote-controlled aircraft, like the Predators that monitor the Canada-United States border for the U.S. Homeland Security department?

Two reasons: One is the OPP based here cover a vast area from the U.S. border to Hudson Bay. A remote-controlled helicopter can save money normally spent to charter an aircraft to remote sites.

The second reason is simply that Sharpe is a whiz with remote-controlled flying machines, working with them as a hobby for 15 years.

In fact, Sharpe built the OPP's first remote-controlled airplane himself -- in his garage. He used whatever materials were handy, including a shower curtain rod and off-the-shelf electronics. The plane included a colour video camera built into the nose to assist with navigation, and a digital camera on a rotating mount for shooting still photos.

It was used in seven homicide investigations -- and saved an estimate $20,000 that would have been spent chartering various aircraft to photograph crime scenes. It was mothballed this year for the Draganflyer, manufactured by Zenon Dragan of Draganfly Innovations Inc. in Saskatoon.

"We're leading the pack," Sharpe said.

The Draganflyer weighs just 1.4 kilograms. It can go up and down like a helicopter instead of flyovers like Sharpe's remote-controlled airplane. That means it can be operated in civilian settings.

You can even lock in a GPS position and hold the helicopter there. It has stabilizing instruments to ensure its photos are crystal clear.

Uses for the Draganflyer in police work are still being explored. First and foremost, it provides aerial shots used to assist judge and jury to visualize crime scenes in court. The aerial photos can also be used to help orient witnesses.

In an armed standoff, the Draganflyer can be used to get back-door photos to help officers. There have been discussions with Winnipeg emergency officials about equipping the remote-controlled helicopter with an infrared camera to show hot spots in a house fire, telling firefighters where not to enter the house.

Winnipeg police even made inquiries last year about using it to search the Brady Road landfill for the body of 46-year-old Jacinto Etcheverry. Sharpe couldn't grant the request at the time because he was still using his old homemade job, but could probably do so today.

Meanwhile, Saskatoon police have a contract with Draganfly Innovations whereby the company shoots aerial photos of all fatal vehicle collisions. Aerial shots are policy for the police force there.

The Draganflyer saves Saskatoon police money normally spent on cranes and boom trucks to get an aerial shot. It also allows roads to reopen more quickly.

Could a UAS one day be equipped with a firearm to shoot a criminal? "In theory, it's possible," said Sharpe, but "too many things could go wrong" and he's certain Transport Canada would never approve it.

Surveillance use, such as spotting grow ops, is also unlikely because it gets into right-to-privacy issues, Sharpe said.

More likely future uses include search and rescue operations. That isn't practical now because Transport Canada requires that a UAS can be used within the operator's line of sight only.

"The problem with regulations right now is there are no regulations for UAS. We're flying under the same rules as manned aircraft," Sharpe said.

The Draganflyer costs $25,000. It can go up to two kilometres high but 90 metres is a practical height for shooting photos. It's battery operated so has no more than 15 minutes of flying time. A British firm is developing a new battery that would give a remote-controlled aircraft several hours of flying time.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 31, 2009 A5