Snowdown revelers! Look up in the sky: It’s a bird, it’s a drone. No, wait, it’s a Fotokite!
The Fotokite is Durango Police Department’s newest crime-fighting tool. It was used for the first time – at least in a real-world application – during Friday’s Snowdown Light Parade.
The device resembles a drone but with a cord – hence kite, not drone. The cord is connected to a base station that allows law enforcement to monitor crowds, emergency situations or natural disasters for hours or even days at a time, said Durango police Cmdr. Nick Stasi.
“The tether is also the power cord, so it can stay up indefinitely in all weather conditions,” Stasi said.
Because it is tethered, the Fotokite moves only up and down, he said. A drone, on the other hand, can maneuver in all directions.
“The big benefit is that unlike a traditional drone that is battery-powered – they only have a flight time of maybe 25-30 minutes – this one can fly for days,” Stasi said.
Another major difference is the cost. A low-end drone costs about $1,000, whereas the Fotokite costs about $41,000. The police department was able to tap into the city’s 2023 lodgers tax revenues to pay for the device.
“It’s got a high price tag, but it is very useful,” Stasi said.
In addition to monitoring major events like the Snowdown Light Parade, the Fotokite can be used to enhance safety at events like Animas River Days, where people can be thrown from boats, Stasi said.
The police department also plans to share the Fotokite with the Durango Fire Protection District. The Fotokite has a thermal-imaging camera that can help firefighters identify hot spots, especially on the roofs of burning buildings, Stasi said.
The device is operated via a tablet and can be flown by a single person. It also has the ability to broadcast its image in real time to a command center, which allows officers in a remote location to monitor and analyze the live video feed.
On Friday, the Fotokite was positioned on the roof of the Main Mall, which gave police a bird’s-eye view of the 800 block of Main Avenue.
“We can have people in our command post monitoring what's going on and have even more eyes on the situation to help (with) situational awareness (and) make critical decisions,” Stasi said.
shane@durangoherald.com
