FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield law enforcement are relying on a bird’s-eye view to police the town’s recreation areas, which opened partially last week after being closed since mid-March in an effort to help limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
The police department is using drones to determine where officers are needed as open spaces become accessible but concerns about the virus remains, according to Capt. Robert Kalamaras.
“At the onset of opening our public recreation areas there was a concern that we would be overwhelmed,” Kalamaras said in an email. “We wanted to be ready. And we were continuously monitoring to ensure we had enough staff.”
Fairfield police have been closely watching the town’s open spaces for weeks. During much of April, they patrolled the areas, issuing $92 trespassing fines to those who entered closed facilities. Now, they have been charged with enforcing safety protocol as spaces gradually reopen. In addition to recreation areas, the new coronavirus outbreak has forced school buildings and nonessential businesses to close, and is associated with the death of 2,633 Connecticut residents. Officials believe the virus is past its peak in Fairfield County, but new cases and deaths continue to be reported daily.
Fairfield’s use of drones during the outbreak differs from a controversial “pandemic drone” program in neighboring Westport, which involved the town partnering with a company to outfit drones to measure a person’s temperature and heart rate from nearly 200 feet in the air, plus detect sneezes and coughs. After residents complained that the undertaking violated their privacy, the town ended its participation in the program.
“We do not have any partnerships with health care data services, and our objective is not to infringe on people’s constitutional rights,” Kalamaras said in the email.
In addition to using drones for resource allocation during the outbreak, Fairfield police deploy them for search and recovery. Officers recently used a drone to help a group of juveniles on the roof of Sherman Elementary School get down safely. The department has been training to use drones to bring flotation devices to swimmers in distress, and it deploys drones for missing person cases, drowning victim searches and barricade situations.
Fairfield police have been using drones for about three years and have a licensed and certified pilot on staff and two officers training for their licenses, according to Kalamaras, who likened drones as they are used by the department to a cheaper, safer and more environmentally friendly helicopter.
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