Watch: Delta, B.C. police track speeders and racers using drone

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Police in Delta, B.C. have charged a motorist with excessive speeding after using a drone to spot and track them on Tsawwassen First Nation lands along Highway 17.  There is no high-speed action in the drone footage released by the Delta Police Department’s Traffic Section, but this crystal-clear aerial footage is a striking display of the power of this relatively new policing tool.

Two stopped vehicles are shown: a Dodge Challenger, and a classic BMW E30. 

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Watch: Delta, B.C. police track speeders and racers using drone Back to video

“The drone allows our officers to have fantastic visibility over a wide area, as well as zoom in on offender’s license plates,” said Acting Sgt. Grayson Smith of the Delta Police Traffic Section, in a release. “Instead of trying to pull over these drivers going at high speeds, the drone operator follows them, and officers who are strategically placed can make these stops when safe to   do so.”

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Using the drone on August 26, DPD issued a number of speeding tickets and had one vehicle towed for street-racing modifications that rendered it “mechanically unfit.” They also caught up with the excessive speeder after clocking them at 157 km/h in a 80 km/h zone, issuing an exceeding speeding ticket that comes with a fine between $368 to $483, tow fees, three demerit points, and a 7-day impound. Not to mention the potential impact to insurance.  

“Using the drone in this manner was definitely productive. We’ll be making use of it for future enforcement initiatives of this nature,” said Smith. “We wanted to release this footage to put a certain type of driver on notice — your reckless driving won’t be tolerated.”