In this story from yesterday’s Bee we hear about a program of having the police helicopters patrol the levees regularly and use their infrared cameras to look out for water seepage.
What a terrific collaboration between government agencies, and we applaud it.
It also reminds us that when we get focused on a problem, we do, often, have the technology and the political will to resolve it.
Let’s hope this renewed sense of resolve keeps bubbling its way through our public leadership.
Here is an excerpt.
Sacramento police copters will monitor levees
Deb Kollars -- Bee Staff WriterPublished 2:15 am PST Thursday, March 2, 2006
The Sacramento Police Department has added levee inspections to its helicopter patrols in an effort to be more proactive when flooding threatens.
The helicopters have been outfitted for years with a camera system that can provide infrared thermal images.
The cameras traditionally are used to patrol neighborhoods and track crime suspects on the ground, said Sgt. Terrell Marshall, a police spokesman.
The department has decided to use that same technology, which detects energy or heat emissions, to identify potential levee problems by picking up changes in ground temperature when water seeps through a levee.
The video images can be sent to flood officials via the helicopter's downlinking system, enabling authorities to keep tabs on what is happening on the levees in real time, Marshall said.
