Former LAPD Deputy Chief of Police Sees Tethered sUAS Necessary Equipment for Protecting Major Cities

Mike Hillmann joins Hoverfly, bringing 47 years of specialized law enforcement experience to colleagues on new aerial capability

News provided by

Hoverfly Technologies Inc.

Aug 28, 2018, 10:31 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoverfly Technologies Inc., the world leader in tether-powered aerial drone systems, is pleased to announce it has engaged retired Deputy Chief of Los Angeles Police Department Mike Hillmann to consult and provide expertise to Hoverfly and public safety officials of cities, counties and special law enforcement agencies who are considering the use of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) to assist in keeping their cities safe.

"With 24-hour news cycles, a never-ending stream of social media posts, mid-term elections and potential threats to the public at large, getting fast, accurate situational awareness from the air during an incident has never been more important when it comes to keeping the public safe. We are thrilled to have Chief Hillmann advising on use cases and how best to implement and integrate this new technology," says Hoverfly SVP of Systems Lew Pincus. When incidents and/or events happen, having "real-time, situational awareness" from above the scene is critical to managing risk and upholding public safety and the safety of those who serve our communities.

"We typically have relied on manned aircraft to provide aerial coverage over a variety of incidents. On occasion, those assets have not always been available, deemed too disruptive or too expensive to deploy in certain situations where an aerial view clearly could have helped an incident commander better understand the situation. Deploying small tether-powered, highly portable, unobtrusive persistent cameras positioned high above the scene can now be used as either a standalone capability or integrated system with existing networks, security infrastructure and even manned aircraft."

Today, Mr. Hillmann is helping chiefs of police, local city and county officials and other public safety personnel understand how Hoverfly's tether-powered LiveSky systems can be deployed from police or EMS vehicles providing incident commanders with actionable intelligence from high above the scene within minutes of arrival. "Tactically, having the ability to stay in the air monitoring the situation from above for hours, days, even weeks at a time represents an amazing capability we never had before. During my career, I can think of hundreds of situations where having a drone in the air to provide real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance would have helped keep my officers and the community much safer. It's a force multiplier that should be exploited by public safety," says Hillmann.

Hoverfly tether-powered sUAV (Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) systems solve short battery-life problems associated with free-flying drones because they operate using a standard 120VAC power source or vehicle inverter. The power, command and control information and video are transmitted over the tether making the entire system completely secure from jamming, hacking or spoofing, ensuring the privacy of the data and improving safety. Perhaps the biggest benefit of Hoverfly systems is they are autonomous and require no piloting skills. The CEO of Hoverfly likes to say, "if you can operate an elevator, you can operate our LiveSky system."

About Hoverfly Technologies Inc.

Hoverfly Technologies Inc. (www.hoverflytech.com) designs and manufactures tether-powered aerial drones designed for persistent security and public safety applications. Our drones operate in defense, security, public safety, sports, media and large industrial markets where reliability and durability are paramount. Hoverfly drones fly continuously for hours, days and weeks at a time using mobile/ground power transmitted over the tether. Hoverfly drones send RF-secure data and operate from fixed-base installations or "on the move" vehicles. Our products fly autonomously and require no piloting skills, making them practical for all types of users, applications and missions. Our customers equip their drones with a variety of payloads including video, IR cameras, communication detectors, transmitters, lights and more. Hoverfly drones are designed, built and supported in the U.S.A.

For more information, please contact:

Lew Pincus, SVP System Solutions

Hoverfly Technologies Inc.
12151 Research Parkway; Suite 100
Orlando, FL 32826
Phone: 407-985-4500
Email: [email protected]