WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Thanks to a grant, the Waupaca Police Department now has a new tool to keep the public safe.
The department recently received a $39,986.38 Forward Together Waupaca Area Grant from the Tim and Joy Neuville Family Fund within the Waupaca Area Community Foundation.
The grant will fund the purchase of an Axon Air DJI Matrice 30T drone, the software and maintenance for five years, and training and licensing for three operators.
“As like many smaller law enforcement agencies throughout the country, it’s difficult to purchase larger items due to budgetary limitations.” said Chief Brian Hoelzel. “The department will no longer have to depend on other agencies and be able to rapidly deploy the drone in numerous types of situations to help serve the citizens of Waupaca.”
Drones can be used to search for missing persons, during traffic crashes, documenting scenes, and analyzing traffic, Chief Hoelzel said. In addition, the videos and photographs taken by the drone will automatically be securely stored on existing evidence storage solutions that the police department is already utilizing, he added.
