CCSO helicopters equipped with new camera technology

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COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- New cameras in the Collier County Sheriff’s helicopters are helping deputies catch crooks, find missing people and even assist during evacuations. WINK News got an inside look at the new technology keeping you safe.

The cameras were once used to capture video of a missing man sitting in a heavily wooded area. Three deputies were nearby searching for him.

“This was at night, so with deputies searching with flashlights, they could only see so far, the helicopter pilot began to provide instructions to the ground deputy to the point where he basically tells them ‘look to your left, the person is sitting right there’ and they found the missing person,” said Cpl. Efrain Hernandez.

Hernandez said the sheriff’s office upgraded their two helicopter cameras to this new technology last year because the old cameras were malfunctioning.

“The thermal imaging basically picks up to the heat of the person” said Hernandez. “It’s a lot faster and it’s more convenient, especially when it has something to do with an elderly person who may be missing, or a child that may be missing.”

In addition to locating missing people, the helicopter cameras have assisted in capturing fleeing and wanted suspects.

Just earlier this month, the two pilots on board were able to help deputies with evacuating homes after a wildfire broke out in Golden Gate Estates. They even captured one man on his roof, hosing it down with water.

The sheriff’s office says two cameras cost about $300,000. They say the average lifespan for the thermal imaging cameras is about five years. This is the fourth upgrade they’ve done on the helicopter cameras since 1996.

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