City adding drones to its arsenal

PITTSBURGH — The city of Pittsburgh is adding drones to its arsenal.

They won't just be used for catching criminals, but they're going to cost a good amount of taxpayer money.

The Public Safety Department said they are worth the price, especially when there's the potential for them to save lives.

"This allows us to put a unit in the sky, without jeopardizing a public safety employee," said Dan Shak with Pittsburgh Public Safety.

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The department is overseeing the new drone program, in which 10 members from police, fire, emergency medical services and public safety have been trained to fly the drones, equipped with high definition and infrared zoom cameras.

"One will be an infrared camera for fires, (such) as recent warehouse fires, (and) would help us with overhead, and a different angle than the firefighters see," Shak said.

The drones cost $25,000 each and will also have the ability to carry critical supplies to victims in dangerous situations.

The drones could be used to "drop a rope bag to them and the other end of that we could tether the rope bag to shore and the rescuers could assist and pull that in," Shak said.

While there are some concerns about privacy, Shak said the drones will only be used in emergencies, not for surveillance.

"There's a balancing act for technology and public safety vs. privacy, and you have to balance both," said Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.

The drones have been ordered.

The city hopes to have them flying in about 60 days.

Cox Media Group