APPLETON, Wis — A kidnapping suspect was shot and killed by law enforcement in Kewaunee County on Tuesday. Police say Luis Cardona, abducted a Green Bay woman at gunpoint and held her captive for more than seven hours before shooting her, and sending her to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Sheriff’s Deputies say they were forced to respond by shooting and killing Cardona, after he opened fire.
Now today, we're learning how technology played a big part in getting authorities to their suspect in that alleged abduction. They say cell phones gave officers Cardona’s location and drones gave them a bird’s eye view of how dangerous the scene was. NBC26 has more on how one police department is embracing the technology that can make dangerous situations, safer for officers.
For three years now the Appleton Police Department has been relying more and more heavily on their drone unit.
"This isn't a piece of equipment that just any officer is going to grab," says Captain Todd Freeman with the Appleton Police Department.
After getting licensed and certified to take flight, a handful of officers in Appleton now have the ability to cover more ground in more situations, than ever before.
"We had an armed robbery suspect that fled from officers..... He made reference to seeing it above, hearing it above and knowing it was probably just a matter of time. So he surrendered himself and was taken into custody," says Captain Freeman describing what was a tense situation.
Captain Freeman says by having a camera in the sky that’s taking live video from the air, he can now better determine whether or not he's about to put his officers, into a dangerous spot.
"When we know we're going into a situation where a person is armed, or has a made significant violent threats, or committed a violent act, that's life saving."
Police say these drones are not just used to help apprehend suspects or make sure a scene is safe for officers, but they're also used to locate some of our community’s most vulnerable residents.
"We do have a few elderly housing complexes and care facilities in Appleton, where we do get reports of walk away people," says Captain Freeman referring to a concern for many, loved ones suffering from dementia.
Captain Freeman says by using his drones his officers can now locate dementia patients or even lost children much faster than ever. All due to the large scopes of land his drones can canvas in a short amount of time.
"Technology is really becoming a game changer," adds Captain Freeman.
