Farmington Hills, Michigan, police arrested the person who they believe is responsible for stealing personal property from several vehicles in a residential area of the city.
The department credits its drone for the successful operation.
According to police, the northwest part of the city experienced an increase in larcenies this week, and officers decided to do something.
On Monday morning, in a subdivision near 12 Mile and Drake roads, an officer noticed a light was on in several cars parked in driveways. He called for backup. Police Captain Domenic Lauria said police utilized a drone with thermal technology to search for the suspect.
A video shows the moment the 17-year-old suspect was located and tried to escape by running into people’s yards. However, the drone pilot was tracking the entire time. Eventually, the teen tried to hide in a wooded area.
“It’s truly a force multiplier,” Lauria said, adding that officers found the 17-year-old from Novi in the wooded area. “When you watch this video, you can clearly see that the drone pilot has a view that the responding officers clearly don’t have.”
Lauria says the department has 16 drone pilots and four drones, which are used every day.
Police say all of the cars that were broken into were left unlocked.
“Don’t leave valuables in your vehicle, especially in the view of people from the outside. And secondly, and most importantly, lock the doors of your vehicle,” Lauria said.
The teen has not been charged. The case has been handed over to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for review.