Caught on tape: thermal imaging

At today’s quarterly media meeting, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office representatives showed off the thermal imaging capabilities of their helicopter.

Those capabilities help in suspect chases and missing person cases, as seen above.

The first video shows a suspect being apprehended in north Spokane back in January. The thermal imaging device shows the suspect running through yards, then stopping when a police cruiser pulls up and an officer gets out.

The second video is from a July 11 search for a suicidal woman on Browns Mountain. Sheriff’s deputies credit the thermal imaging with finding the woman, who they say was near death.