Upgrade OKd for Police Helicopters
City Council members voted Tuesday to approve a bid for $67,000 to install technology that would display moving maps on monitors in the city’s police helicopters.
The software, which continuously displays the helicopter’s position in relation to the street level and restricted air space, is expected to quicken police response times. Helicopter pilots can input an address and get directions to a ground location accurate to as little as three feet.
Police officials also expect the technology to increase safety because pilots will be able to focus more on following a suspect at the ground level and spend less time pinpointing their location to avoid air space controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez said most law enforcement agencies already have the technology.
The agreement would include equipping three helicopters with the software, manufactured by Metamap Inc., based in Lexington, Ky.
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