Drone technology to be deployed
A restricted airspace has been established over Kahnawake for the first time in the community’s history, a move that will allow for the use of drone technology that will improve traffic monitoring and emergency response times.
“We’re imposing this airspace over our community for our needs,” said MCK chief Ryan Montour, who holds the public safety portfolio.
The Kahnawake Peacekeepers will be participating in a program in partnership with Drone360 that will see drone technology deployed exclusively within the restricted airspace. The program, called the Drone First Responder Proof of Concept program, will provide greater oversight for Peacekeepers and allow them to gather information about emergencies quicker, saving time and resources – including in monitoring traffic incidents.
“If we’re responding to, let’s say, a major car accident, we’ll know if we really need trucks deployed, if we need ambulances deployed,” Montour said. “We can send out the drone first to make a timely assessment and then make an informed decision with eyes on site.”
The initiative would mean Peacekeepers can proactively know what resources they need to respond, instead of having to deploy numerous officers to a scene that requires different types of backups. The technology can also be used for non-emergency situations, like daily bridge maintenance inspections and traffic surveillance.
“It’s really an effective and efficient use of resources,” Montour said.
The drone will be deployed from the roof of the Peacekeepers’ station, and all the data that the drone collects will be owned by Kahnawake. To start, Drone360 will operate the machinery on official requests from the Peacekeepers, and the organization will also be training Peacekeepers on how to use it.
Drone360 is providing drone technology and 24/7 off-site remote services at no cost, and Montour said that the organization recognizes the Peacekeepers as the first police service in Canada to adopt the program.
“It’s the first of its kind in Canada, it’s kind of like a pilot project for them, they want First Nations to participate in enhanced security measures,” Montour said.
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Montour said that the MCK plans to disseminate more educational information about the project for community members, and that he’s optimistic about the benefits it could provide for the community.
“If there’s anything we can do to leverage technology to add another layer of defence for Mohawks of Kahnawake, we’re definitely going to support it,” he said.
