Police drone helps Stratford officers locate missing person in Perth South

By: Amanda Nelson

Earlier this month, the Stratford Police Service used drone technology to locate a missing person in Perth South.

After receiving a missing person report, several officers began searching the area after learning the individual was believed to be in medical distress.

The police drone was deployed around 11 p.m. as part of the search, leading to the safe location of the missing person, who was found in a cornfield.

The police drone provides a broader view of a search area, similar to a helicopter, said Const. Darren Fischer, community resource and media relations officer. It is particularly useful at night because of its heat-seeking technology.

“The drone provides a much broader view of an area; it's similar to what a helicopter can do,” said Fischer. “Utilizing the heat-seeking technology at night helped officers pinpoint where that individual was, which helped them walk to the right spot.”

Fischer said the quick actions of officers, combined with the use of the drone, ultimately saved the individual's life. He said the search and location of the missing person was greatly assisted by the drone technology.

“If the drone was not available, this search would have taken a significant amount of time in a grid-style search,” said Fischer. “Because this person was in medical distress, the timeline to locate them was extremely important.”

At this time, a select number of officers have been trained to operate the technology, and the drone will continue to be used only in specific cases.

The Stratford Police Service has also used the drone to locate a wanted individual in the past. In that case, the drone also helped officers successfully locate the individual.

The missing person was transported to Stratford General Hospital for further medical care and is now safe.