Warwick Police Academy junior cadets learn about State Police drones

Town of Warwick Police Department Junior Police Academy (JPA) junior cadets learned about how the New York State Police use drones during a demonstration on Wednesday morning. Trooper Briana Martinez-Gigante and Trooper Vincent Burns talked with the junior cadets about how the state police use drones for operations such as searching for missing persons.

Trooper Burns, a member of the Drone Unit, showed students one of his drones and explained that drones can be outfitted with regular still and video cameras or infrared cameras. The drones can also carry lights or speakers.

Trooper Burns also told the junior cadets how the state police used drones to help fire departments at the Greenwood Lake wildfire by flying high and showing where the fire was burning and how fast the fire was moving. He then flew the drone 400 feet above the high school and showed the junior cadets a drone's eye view on his iPad. 

After that demonstration, five junior cadets put on vests with heavy protective plates for a game of cops and robbers. With the drone flying above, the cops chased the robbers around the high school baseball field.