Did you go through the Drone phase that came around recently? We know a lot of people who did. And to be completely honest, we don’t blame them! Drones are pretty cool if you ask us…
Now, we understand that a few of you may at this point be a little confused. Don’t worry, you haven’t been living under too much of a Rock. But we understand that you may not necessarily know what a ‘drone’ is, let alone that there was a ‘drone phase’ that went on.
But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
For those who have never seen one, they’re essentially a small flying device with four propellers (similar to that of a helicopter), that is remotely controlled by a user on the ground. Think of a four winged remote control helicopter, and you’re probably halfway there. All you’ve got to do is Google the word ‘Drone’, and we guarantee that you’ll definitely be caught up with the overwhelming amount of content and videos out there. These devices were once used by the military for surveillance, and now are accessible to the public, and they’ve given us some great videos.
If they don’t sound pretty cool by now, you should also know that many of them have inbuilt cameras – or can have one attached to them – that can record at 4K resolution (Which is really, really good by the way).
But we’re not here to tell you why they’ll make your wedding video look better, we’re here to talk about how they changed the game of surveillance.
Here at DUI, we’re always looking for ways to change the game and be at our best, for our clients and for ourselves, and drones certainly helped us with this. Especially in regard to surveillance.
When clients ask us to perform an investigation, particularly for legal purposes or to obtain evidence, often there can be certain visual hindrances. What’s behind the fence? Do you think some of your belongings are on someone else’s property. Sometimes we’re not needing to prove that something is on a property, but someone is on a certain property. Perhaps it’s for car repossession, or you could be settling neighbourly disputes.
Drones have even started to be used in the process of searching and locating missing persons. Considering they can get up to 400ft, they’ve got a great ability to assist in a mass birds eye search.
There are many variables and reasons as to why a Private Investigator may need a drone camera, but the ability to obtain a birds eye view photo or video has definitely changed the game. Ultimately, it comes down to the ability to obtain evidence, and the drone has in many ways increased a Private Investigators ability to do so. However, the use of a drone is definitely subject to government legislation. There are restrictions on where and how a drone may be used, and for what purposes. Make sure you check the laws governing Surveillance Devices in your state before getting yourself in trouble.
So, if you’re a licensed Private Investigator out there, we highly recommend adding one to your arsenal. If you’re not a licensed P.I, or just a regular Joe who owns a drone, be careful. Without the proper licencing you may find yourself in a lot of trouble, and a lot of financial instability. But, as always, it’s usually better to leave it to the professionals. If you have any questions on drones, spyware or any of our services don’t hesitate to call us because we’re always happy to answer your Q’s, especially about drones.