(NEWTON, Kan.) — Searching for people in the dead of night is going to start getting easier for Harvey County Sheriff deputies. They will have help from state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras.
"The deputies will easily be able to pan a field or as they're driving down the road, be able to spot things that are hotter than other things surrounding it," explains Undersheriff Todd Hanchett.
The cameras capture heat, instead of light like cameras used for snapshots.
Since the majority of the cases the sheriff's office handles are in rural areas, they say these devices will be a valuable tool for fighting crime.
"Right now, what we're trying to combat is the rural burglaries and also metal thefts. Those guys can easily hide out in the country." Hanchett says the cameras will be able to tell if a suspicious car parked somewhere was recently driven or not based on how hot it is.
