Overland Park company’s drones become new tool in fight against property crime

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Security is changing, according to Titan Protection, based out of Overland Park. The company is now utilizing drones in coordination with guards and it’s proven to be successful.

“We deployed to a group of car dealers in the KC metro. Within three weeks, we prevented the theft of a Corvette,” said Thomas Keary, Titan Protection’s automated operations manager.

Titan Protection shared video and images of a drone locating someone trespassing on a customer’s property. They said the man was fishing, had started a fire, and was carrying around a machete. The drone shone a spotlight on the man and alerted security guards.

“The integration with technology is of the utmost importance. It has become an expectation,” said Keary. “The drone is a force multiplier. It gives us the opportunity to better use our available resources. It’s not replacing anybody, it’s really about being able to better use those people and better coordinate our efforts.”

The drone is kept in a docking station. Keary compared it to a hangar with a small weather station to monitor conditions. An operator monitors the live camera feed and can control the drone from Titan’s control room. According to the company, the drone can cover over 150 acres.

“It’s really successful anywhere we have outdoor assets that need to be protected, especially when it’s a spread-out area,” said Keary. “Drones can fly around those on a scheduled pace. We can even pair it with an intrusion-detection system, so it’s launching anytime we have an intrusion.”

As drone use is growing, so are the purposes, from infrastructure inspection to videography. Keary said businesses facing copper thefts can utilize drones, or they can be used for the World Cup next year to monitor park-and-ride locations to Arrowhead and large crowds.

“We can’t fly over crowds, but we can fly around the outside,” said Keary. “Most of these have 20-40 power zoom cameras so you can see a lot further than it can fly. With certain AI metrics and analytics, you can have it programmed to where it’s picking up things like fights or weapons. It is a tool of the future. We will see more and more out there and more and more use for different reasons.”