New OPP helicopter camera being deployed for Victoria Day long weekend traffic blitz

Ontario Provincial Police have unveiled a new pricey gadget to be used during the Victoria Day long weekend traffic enforcement blitz and officers say it will completely change the way they do their job.

“The sky’s the limit,” said OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair.

The technology centers around a camera attached to the front of one of OPP’s helicopters and it’s worth more than $1 million.

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“The helicopter has been retrofitted with a brand new forward looking infrared camera, commonly referred to as FLIR,” said Blair.

The camera is connected to a software system, which allows pilots to see a state-of-the-art mapping system on their screens.

Officers said the new camera will make it much easier to spot infractions by drivers. It would allow the pilots to flag drivers breaking the law and radio officers on the ground, who would then pull the vehicle over.

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The OPP added the system also has the ability to ‘save’ the vehicle information so police can follow-up at a later time.

“The FLIR technology (has) mapping systems in our cameras, high-definition resolution, recording capabilities, [vehicle] speed tracking capabilities,” said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt.

“This is a huge asset for us in our highway patrols.”

Officers said the old OPP helicopter camera system compared to the new one is like comparing a Polaroid camera to the latest digital camera.

The technology was only implemented a week ago but has already been used in situations outside of traffic enforcement. In one of the instances, police used the camera to find a missing three-year-old boy.

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“We were able to use the software you punch in the address and the camera will lock into the address as were flying to the location, which gives a greater eye to zoom in and do our work very efficiently without flying around trying to figure out where we are — because the address will be up on the screen right in front of us,” said Blair.

“Time is of the essence in circumstances of missing children and once on scene, we found the little guy and the family dog within 8 minutes.”