The West Chester Police Department said a cross-trained officer used a drone fitted with thermal imaging and a spotlight to find a missing elderly person in bitter cold, wooded terrain after a neighboring agency requested help. The drone’s heat signature revealed the person’s location and guided ground crews. Medical care was provided quickly on site, and officials credited training and technology for the safe recovery.
Thermal Drone Helps Police Rescue Missing Elderly Person From Bitter Cold Woods
Missing elderly person found in bitter cold woods after police deploy thermal imaging drone
The West Chester Police Department (WCPD) in Pennsylvania said Monday that officers located a missing elderly person in a wooded area during bitterly cold conditions after deploying a drone equipped with thermal imaging and a spotlight.
A thermal imaging drone was able to locate a missing person in the woods.
The call for assistance came Sunday from a neighboring agency. A WCPD officer who is cross-trained as a drone pilot responded and provided aerial support, scanning the terrain with the drone’s thermal camera and guiding officers on the ground to the person’s location.
Authorities working on the scene after a drone helped find an elderly person that went missing in the woods.
Authorities released photos showing the thermal imaging outline of the individual alongside images of crews working at the scene, illustrating how the technology helped identify the person among trees and undergrowth.
FILE – A pilot uses a thermal imaging drone near a wooded area on May 22, 2023.
Last evening, West Chester Police was requested by a neighboring agency to assist with the search of an elderly person who was lost, the department said in a social media post.
A WCPD officer who is cross-trained as a drone pilot responded to the scene. Our officer used the drone, which is equipped with thermal imaging and a spotlight. With the drone, we located the elderly person in a wooded area, and our officer was able to direct officers on the ground to the person’s location.
Once located, medical care was delivered swiftly at the scene, officials said. The department credited the combination of training and technology for enabling a rapid and safe recovery.
WCPD emphasized that tools such as drones play a central role in modern public-safety operations and said the incident highlights how technology combined with trained personnel can improve outcomes in search-and-rescue efforts.
Fox News Digital reached out to the West Chester Police Department for additional information.
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