Drones are helping Utica police and school officials determine whether they can make school dismissal time safer.
The Utica Police Department, working in partnership with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the school district, began a trial test on Oct. 6, using unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, commonly referred to as drones, to gather data on what happens when school gets out, according to an announcement from Mayor Michael Galime’s office.
“Recently, we’ve seen several incidents during dismissal times that required a significant response from both law enforcement and school personnel,” said a joint statement from the police department and the sheriff’s office. “Using UAVs during this test phase will give us a better understanding of overall patterns and potential areas for improvement.”
With the drones, law enforcement and school officials can monitor dismissal activities in real time, including traffic flow, pedestrian movements and student activity in the neighborhoods around selected schools.
Collected data will help officials determine whether improvements need to be made to current dismissal procedures to keep students, staff and the public safe.
“This initiative represents the very best of local collaboration and forward-thinking,” Galime said in a statement. “We are thankful for the bleeding-edge technology and the strong partnership between the city and county that make projects like this possible.
“The safety of our students, residents and business owners remains our top priority — and we’re proud to explore every innovative tool that helps us achieve that.”
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Could Utica school dismissal procedures be safer? Utica police using drones to find out
Reporting by Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
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