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Officers of the Palm Bay Police Department in Florida keep an eye on a large area by using motorized paragliders!
Police Chief Bill Berger says they are a way for the department to have a bird’s eye view of the semi-rural city at minimal cost.
“Because we don’t have a lot of roadway here, this gives us the ability to basically take short cuts,” said Berger.
The vehicles and training cost $10,000 per officer, which is cost-effective compared to using helicopters. And they have other benefits.
Chief Berger sees the gliders as an ideal tool for searching for missing elderly people who have wandered away.
“The problem with helicopters is you can’t go below 1,000 feet,” said Berger. “The canopy of trees in our community prevented the helicopter from seeing a woman who had [died] close to her car. The paragliders would have been able to get much lower.”
(image credit: ABC News)
Alberto Ocampo was paragliding from San Felix to Antioquia, Colombia when he became entangled in power lines 350 meters above ground.
Fog and cold temperatures hampered the rescue mission, but civil defence forces eventually lowered Ocampo back onto the ground where his family were there to greet him.
Ocampo was hanging for ten hours. Link (with video) -via Arbroath
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