The state has expanded downlink technology, a tool that transmits live feeds of aerial video footage from Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) aircraft to outside law enforcement agency command staff on the ground during criminal investigations and emergencies. The statewide rollout could make aerial imagery a major part of investigations for law enforcement agencies of any size.
“Many of Ohio’s law enforcement agencies, especially in the rural parts of the state, don’t have aviation capabilities,” Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said in a statement. “This incredible asset provides a valuable resource to help those agencies fight crime and protect the public.” The expansion was paid for with state and federal funding through the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program.
The OSHP Aviation Section has three helicopters and 13 airplanes that patrol for aggressive and dangerous drivers, school bus and railroad crossing violations. However, according to data obtained by Government Technology, most of the unit’s missions are in service of other agencies — using tech like forward-looking infrared technology to search for fugitives on the run or missing people.
The Aviation Section has maintained an open policy to provide its services to any agency in the state that could benefit from a “bird’s-eye view.”
”We offer those services free of charge, we don’t charge anybody anything,” said Capt. Justin Cromer with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, in an interview released by the state in conjunction with the technology expansion. “Any agency that we’re working with that would like this capability, it’s certainly available at no cost.”
The OSHP’s state-of-the art technology allows covert day or night surveillance of the ground. While the technology is overwhelmingly used for criminals on the run, the crew also helps look for missing people and assess storm damage from above.
Prior to the rollout of downlink technology, crews on the ground relied on patrol units to describe what they were seeing via radio. Now, any agency with Internet access and the correct credentials can watch the livestream in real time on a phone, tablet or desktop computer.
“The challenge was accurately conveying that big picture to ground units,” Cromer said. “This enables us to show them in real time what it looks like.”
Ohio piloted the first downlink receiver test site in 2019, making the real-time surveillance available to local law enforcement in the areas around Columbus and Akron. The successful pilot led to the decision to expand the project to nine strategically placed downlink receivers providing access anywhere in the state.
The expansion may help with other government services, like surveying storm damage quickly.
“We’re usually the first ones up afterwards,” Cromer said. “If you have a live image of that weather event, that would aid greatly in decision-making and what resources to push where.”
