Ohio Police Officers Start Drone Business

(Source: mansfieldnewsjournal.com)  

Two area police officers hope their new business will save lives with a little help from above.

Ryan Anschutz and John Bartolucci recently formed HYSight Technologies to provide unmanned aerial vehicles — better known as drones — for law enforcement, fire and public safety agencies.

“These are going to save a bunch of lives all around the country,” Anschutz said.

Bartolucci offered examples.

“This can reduce the time it takes to find an autistic child or an elderly person with dementia,” he said.

The drones also have thermal imaging, which could help firefighters locate victims more quickly.

The partners at HYSight Technologies say drones also can help with foot chases and marijuana eradication, among other services.

Anschutz said the advanced technology involved with drones makes them easy to learn to operate.

“They (users) will be able to set these up in minutes, if not seconds,” Bartolucci added.

Anschutz and Bartolucci emphasize they are offering the drones strictly for humanitarian purposes. They say they are not interested in invading anyone’s privacy.

“One of the hurdles we have is public perception,” Anschutz said. “They (some people) see the eye in the sky as negative.”

HYSight acquires and equips purpose-built drones, provides flight training, guides agencies through Federal Administration Agency authorization and offers ongoing support.

Anschutz and Bartolucci put on a demonstration recently at Ontario’s Marshall Park. A light rain fell midway through the demonstration, but didn’t bring it to an end.

“These will fly when a helicopter won’t,” Bartolucci said.

With a combined 30 years of public safety experience, Anschutz and Bartolucci have life-saving know-how. They’re both trained pilots.

Anschutz also is certified for incident command systems and has experience as a police operations instructor and certified firefighter. Bartolucci also owns and operates Ad Hoc, a longtime computer repair and consulting business.

They say the drone business is strictly part-time.

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