DEPUTIES GET NIGHT VISION TOOL; DEVICE DETECTS BODY HEAT.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer Hoping to gain an advantage at night, Kern Kern, river, 155 mi (249 km) long, rising in the S Sierra Nevada Mts., E Calif., and flowing south, then southwest to a reservoir in the extreme southern part of the San Joaquin valley. The river has Isabella Dam as its chief facility. County sheriff's officials have purchased a thermal-imaging system similar to ones used in military helicopters Military helicopters are helicopters used by military forces. They can be found in a variety of roles in diffferent militaries of which the tactical airlift mission is the most common. . The infrared scope, which creates a videolike image of body heat at night, can be used to scan dark fields for hidden suspects or missing people. ``This unit will greatly enhance our capability to search for suspects and missing persons,'' said Kern County sheriff's Sgt. Mike Lackey, who is in charge of the Mojave sheriff's station. ``We're very fortunate to get one of the first units.'' The device consists of a basketball-size disc mounted on a patrol car roof. The disc is attached to a movable lever lever, simple machine consisting of a bar supported at some stationary point along its length and used to overcome resistance at a second point by application of force at a third point. The stationary point of a lever is known as its fulcrum. , which can be operated from inside the car. Deputies can scan dark fields and watch the image on a TV monitor. ``It's an adaptation of military technology,'' Lackey said. ``Helicopters have been using them for years.'' Other east Kern County stations will be able to use the unit based at the Rosamond substation, one of three sites where the Kern County Sheriff's Department is testing the infrared sensor. Others are the Lerdo Detention Facility, where officials expect a sensor to be useful in detecting would-be fugitives, and the Wasco substation. The vast desert around Rosamond provides a good testing ground Noun 1. testing ground - a region resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers opportunities for observation and practice and experimentation; "the new nation is a testing ground for socioeconomic theories"; "Pakistan is a laboratory for studying the use of American for the device, officials said. ``We have so many square miles A square mil is a unit of area, equal to the area of a square with sides of length one mil. A mil is one thousandth of an international inch. This unit of area is usually used in specifying the area of the cross section of a wire or cable. to patrol,'' Lackey said. ``With this, we can search through a broad area. This can help us see farther away than normal.'' Sheriff's officials said that many suspects lie down in the desert to hide from deputies, but the infrared sensor can spot them. ``We can detect their body heat, wherever they are,'' Lackey said. ``We can see them on the ground, through bushes and trees.'' The device will also detect recently discarded dis·card v. dis·card·ed, dis·card·ing, dis·cards v.tr. 1. To throw away; reject. 2. a. To throw out (a playing card) from one's hand. b. items that still emit TO EMIT. To put out; to send forth, 2. The tenth section of the first article of the constitution, contains various prohibitions, among which is the following: No state shall emit bills of credit. some heat from having been held by a person. ``We can see pieces of paper, guns and drugs,'' Lackey said. ``If they throw it away, it still holds some heat and can be detected.'' |
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