Paragliding Cops

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."

Link -via Fark

(image credit: ABC News)

Hmmm... my community spends $15000 every year for police chaplains. That's for each one of them. For training, new uniforms, badges, "official" crosses, and so on. And what do these 7 chaplains do? Nothing but strut around the area in uniform.

Paragliding cops are much more cool.
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How could you resist the urge to shut the engine off and swoop down on some curmudgeonly criminal and, pouncing silently from behind, scare the life out of them?

I know I couldn't.
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ted:- There may have been a doughnut shop in the way.

Of course - that'll be next, hovering doughnut vendors. Or possibly a delivery service carrying doughnuts slung under helium balloons.
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Cops to working, law abiding Americans are like paying full coverage car insurance. You pay thousands of dollars a year on them in case you're ever a victim of the scum that lives all around you. And in turn you never file a dime of claims. And all you got was this news article.
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