Utah city wants to use crime-fighting 'cop in sky' blimp

SALT LAKE CITY — If all goes as planned, a northern Utah city could become the nation's first metropolitan area to have an inflatable sky cop.

An unmanned, helium-filled "cop-in-the-sky" blimp — capable of flying four to six hours on batteries — would float over Ogden, 30 miles north of Salt Lake City. The high-tech idea is being developed by the Utah Center for Aeronautical Innovation and Design (UCAID) at Weber State University.

Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey unveiled the concept during a City Council session this week.

"You'd have multiple cameras on one ship, and you'd have a visual of a much larger area," Godfrey said. "The cost savings that this can deliver is very significant, and the deterrent factor, if this technology works as it has for the military, is huge."

In other words, if people know there's the eye in the sky and they're out to break into cars, they'll likely think twice, Godfrey said.

While Ogden's new aerial toy might lack the pizazz of a Honeywell T-Hawk, a 20-pound, military-style drone Miami-Dade's police force intends to start using, Godfrey said he believes the 50-foot dirigible is a better fit for fighting crime in Ogden.

"We're talking about something more stable that gives more time in the air and more maneuverability," Godfrey said, noting that propellers at each end would allow it to change direction easily.

Weber's UCAID, which focuses on research and development in the aeronautic and aviation industries, has designed small, unmanned airplanes and helicopters. Ogden's cigar-shape surveillance blimp, however, would be the first of its kind.

"This is our first venture in lighter-than-air unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)," UCAID's executive director Bradley Stringer said.

Godfrey and Ogden Police Chief Jon Greiner approached UCAID in August. The scope and terms of the contract are under discussion, Stringer said, with final costs hinging on the cameras and electronics.

UCAID also would provide the ground-control station and software, Stringer said.

Ogden's sky spy likely would include at least two cameras: one for daytime use, the other with infrared night-vision capability. They would transmit live video to a public-safety station.

"We've been looking at (UAVs) for several years, but most didn't have a flying time of more than an hour," Greiner said.

The fabric-covered dirigibles generally carry a payload of about 20 pounds, including batteries and cameras, Greiner said, and can hover or fly up to 40 mph at an altitude of about 400 feet.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval is required for aircraft that fly at 1,000 feet above urban areas or 500 feet above rural territory, Greiner said.

How precise the transmitted images would be also remains under discussion.

"We're not interested in expired license plates," Greiner said. "We're interested in people up on buildings and violent crimes in progress."