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Cool Stuff Police Week, Yuneec H520

Nevada Hawaii Patrol’s Sgt Wayne Prosser, shares the Yuneec H520 drone, which will aid their department in traffic accident investigation.    [Photo by Barry Markowitz]

Yuneec International proactively presented their latest drone, the H520, at the September Interdrone 2017.  The specialized software, the bright Hazard Orange body, the Yuneec 6 rotor blades, the huge parking lot accident re-creation (we journalists were invited to witness) was geared to demonstrate how law enforcement could better serve the public.

http://commercial.yuneec.com/

The sad irony is that within a few weeks of meeting Sgt. Prosser, and discussing how they were training on the existing Yuneec Typhoon H to expediently document highway accidents in Las Vegas, the horrific Mandalay Bay Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival shooting occurred.

Yuneec designed this helpful drone with a wide ultra high resolution large aperture E90 Sony 20 megapixel 1” sensor camera/lens, a medium E50 telephoto and thermal imaging CGOET fast hot swap cameras and software to quickly perform aerial imagery (in a variety of light and geographic conditions) to facilitate the investigation of a significant crash scene. 

Road closures, sitting in traffic, have a major impact on our lives if we have to pick up our kids at school on time, or make a business meeting. The stress from sitting in traffic is also unhealthy and overwhelming, especially in Las Vegas’ scorching hot or freezing cold deserts.   

Yuneec & the Nevada Highway Patrol intend for investigations to speed up to allow tow trucks to promptly haul away the damage so roads can be open in 40 minutes instead of 5 hours.

I’m reflecting on the Mandalay Bay Route 91 Harvest Concert shooting and the important contribution the Yuneec 520 drone could have made.

Crime deterrent and investigation is just another future unintended benefit of Yuneec’s H520 original law enforcement concept. 

First accept in this specific type situation, an unmanned camera drone must replace a manned police helicopter; unless in time of war, helicopter pilots will not take on armed snipers.

Next think how close the Yuneec H520 drone with its selection of cameras/ lenses or thermal imaging capability could get in aiding police to determine how many shooters in what position they were facing. They can go right up to the window, and presumably up to the face of the culprit. 

Add the fabulous Lume Cubes (only $79 each) mounted on the Yuneec H520 and you have two massive 1500 lumens sources illuminating the room (even if the lights were shut off)... or possibly visually blinding the suspect (with brightness or strobe) so a SWAT Team could enter more safely (and with actual real time knowledge of the rooms layout and hazards).

https://www.lumecube.com

Yes, the Yuneec H520 could have theoretically flown into the Mandalay Bay’s Suite through the shattered windows bringing greater intel or possibly carrying a remote flash bang (used by police to disable violent suspects)

For American Samoa’s Territorial Police, the Yuneec H520 may assist in mountain/ocean rescues, assessing village domestic disputes; landslide, tsunami, cyclone, flood damage evaluations. The importance of Yuneec’s 6 rotors is critical in our rainforests as it is so easy to nick a prop in hanging vegetation. Yuneec’s 6 rotor drones are famous for flying on 5 if necessary.

Cool Stuff reckons US Federal Grants are available through the DEA, USDA, DOI to fund an ASG purchase. The cost of a Yuneec H520 is $1,999-$4,700 depending on camera and accessory selections.

Before completing this column, Cool Stuff directly reached out respectfully to Sgt. Wayne Prosser and Yuneec to determine if either had a role in the aftermath of the tragedy. No response to date.