CORMAN PARK — Corman Park police were able to locate a man at risk of freezing to death overnight using a drone.
Using both a drone and a ground search, officers located a 47-year‑old man who had taken shelter inside a dumpster and lost consciousness while in an intoxicated state. At the time the man was found, the temperature was estimated to be between -20 and -24 degrees Celsius, with wind chill.
"The thorough, methodical search conducted by the responding officer, supported by the rapid deployment of the RPAS, directly contributed to locating the man and preventing a potential serious cold‑weather injury or death," said Chief Robert Duttchen of the Corman Park Police Service in a release issued Saturday. "This is an extraordinary example of the effectiveness of RPAS and the diligence of our officers working together to enhance public safety within the RM of Corman Park."
The search began shortly before midnight Jan. 2, when an officer with the Corman Park Police Service responded to multiple reports of a suspicious male, who was not dressed for the weather, walking along Highway 41 in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park .
A search of the area located fresh footprints leading away from the roadway and into an open field. After summoning a second officer to the scene, the responding officer conducted a foot search following the footprints through the area. The second member arrived and deployed the CPPS Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), commonly referred to as a drone, to assist with a systematic search of the surrounding area, states the release.
Upon finding the man in the dumpster, police assessed him at the scene, then lodged him in police cells until sober.
