Are APD Units equipped with Infrared-Detection?

[ifyc576]

I was just doing some overnight scanning Saturday night and about 3 Baker units were searching for a perp that went hiding in the woods. Then, I heared one of the Baker units say, "Stand-By, I'm attempting to resolve 2 heat signitures..."

Sounds like heat detection to me. Whats up with that? Any ideas? :shock:

 

[scannerfreak]

Alot of times the police will call the FD to use their heat detection gun that they use to find people in fires. This might have been the case. They do it all the time here in Indiana when they have a foot pursuit that leads into the woods.

 

[n4voxgill]

Does Austin have a helicopter, sounds like FLIR. gill

 

[ifyc576]

Yeah, must have been that!

It was wild listening to the officer using the infrared scanner give directions to the officer on foot.

They did get the perp BTW :twisted: Imagine the look on the perp's face when he saw the officer coming straight for him!

Pretty Scary! :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[mr_hankey]

you all must be talking about Thermal Imaging Cameras...

they're not that expensive anymore - you can buy some brand new for just $9000.

 

[ifyc576]

:roll:

Just 9k huh?

Well I'll just have to get me one next payday!

 

[waynesewell]

Alot of times the police will call the FD to use their heat detection gun that they use to find people in fires.

The fire departments use this technology? Would not the much greater heat of the fire blind it?

 

[mdulrich]

The fire departments use this technology? Would not the much greater heat of the fire blind it?

No, but inside fires we have to look for the dark objects. Thermal imaging cameras (TIC) show differences in temperature and most TICs can show differences as small as a half a degree. On TV police shows people are hotter than the surrounding landscape so they show up as white. Inside a fire, people are cooler so they show up dark. You train to recognize shape of a body.

Also, TICs are now much cheaper than $9000.

Mike

 

[scannerfreak]

Alot of times the police will call the FD to use their heat detection gun that they use to find people in fires.

The fire departments use this technology? Would not the much greater heat of the fire blind it?

The main reason they use them is they cannot see due to the smoke. The heat gun sees heat right through the smoke allowing them to find people and animals.

 

[dc2wheel]

Here in Washington DC the US Park Police & Secret Service Uniformed
Division [foreign embassy security] use small i-r units mounted to the
roofs of cruisers to look for heat signatures. Inside the vehicles are
approx. 3x4" displays & joysticks to control the camera. I'm sure they're
expensive, but that's what being on a fed tab gets you.
-dc2wheel

 

[mr_hankey]

some TIC links:

http://www.thermalimagingcameras.co.uk/

http://www.x20.org/thermal/

and last but not least, the company offering Thermal Imaging Cameras with a "flame" paint job on the body of the cam:

http://www.isgfire.com/

 

[ifyc576]

Ok now I want one!!

Must get out Platinum Card, must not resist......

(sounds of man struggling with credit card)

.

.

.

(sound of man cutting up credit card and throwing in wastebasket)

Whew, that was a close one!

 

[ECPD279]

One of our neighboring police departments has a Rockwell thermal imaging unit mounted on top of one of their patrol cars. The screen and the joystick are mounted to the dashboard. It looks pretty hokey up there on the roof but DAMN does it work!

 

[rbarker]

Night Vision, FLIR with APD and their helicopter

A few of the APD Sergeants and LT cars are equipped with FLIR but they almost never use them. APD does have a helicopter equipped with FLIR.
In addition, units that are doing something specific can check out Night Vision devices from supply, but they are not that common and it requires special approval.

 

[rbarker]

Join our discussion group also if you are in the Austin area

If you are not already on our Austin, TX discussion group, check it out:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CenTexComm/

Subscribe: CenTexComm-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

 

[ifyc576]

That must be it, ECPD279.

I've seen on a very few APD units what appears to be some sort of dish sensor located on the roof at the center. So that must be the FLIR, right?

Anyway it looks pretty cool. Everytime I see a unit with one, I have to stare because it looks so interesting.

 

[ECPD279]

I'll try to shoot a picture and post it so you can see what the Rockwell looks like.

 

[rbarker]

The FLIR unit on top of a patrol car

There are only a few APD, Travis County Sheriff, and I think one Capitol PD units that have the FLIR on them. This thing is HUGE .. it looks like a spotlight and is about the size of a microwave oven. If you saw a little round circle on a patrol car.. or a shark fin type antenna (they now prefer the circles) then you are see GPS. The new radio system incorporates GPS tracking (by satellites) and the white dome would look like a grapefruit or may just be a flat round circle the side of a CD or DVD.