Here's a video from a local TV station showing the capability of a search and rescue helicopter based in Kalispell. It's a Facebook link, I can't find anyway to link directly to the video.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=69 ... =2&theater

That's quite high tech Scott, thanks for sharing. Two Bear must have a little better budget than most of our local agency's, too bad they can't erradicate a few wolves with that setup... Unreal stabilization and picture quality

They are funded primarily by a Google exec who has a house in the Kalispell area.

One night we had a 211 armed robbery suspect flee the scene of a liquor store robbery into a vacant field. He threw the pistol out of his waist band into the bushes. Officers on the ground apprehended him trying to exit the field but needed the gun for evidence. We could see the gun glowing in the FLIR from the transferred body heat and guided officers to it giving them step by step directions. Some of these Wescam cameras are worth more that the aircraft they are hanging on.

Dave

> We could see the gun glowing in the FLIR ... worth more than the aircraft

On the other end of the price spectrum is the FLIR case for the iPhone. Identity thieves are using it to read PIN codes from keypad button presses. The success rate from this gambit is > 80%.

Mitigation steps; after successfully entering your PIN, touch all of the keypad buttons.