The unmanned aerial system soared up to 400 feet high, with the officer directing its every move, at one point landing on top of a police car.

Hoffpauir is one of five pilots who can operate the quadcopter for the department, which joins the Lafourche Parish Government, South Lafourche Levee District and Lockport Volunteer Fire Department in making use of the technology.

“Imagine a packed crowd like the Firemen’s Fair, with so many people around,” said Thibodaux Police spokesman David Melancon. “If someone comes to us and says ‘I can’t find my little girl’ or ‘I can’t find my brother,’ we can say, ‘What are they wearing?’ put it up in the sky and start monitoring.”

Capt. Kyle Cressione, special operations commander and interim police chief, said retiring Police Chief Scott Silverii wanted the department to buy a quadcopter for purposes such as documenting crime scenes and assisting in search-and-rescue missions.

The DJI Phantom III cost $1,600 and includes a pivoted support to allow the camera to rotate.

“It’s not only the quadcopter we were interested in, it’s the camera,” Cressione said. “This particular camera is in HD. It’s in real-time, it can take pictures, and it’s on a gimbal. No matter what I do, it’s going to stay on the target.”