Nauticomp Inc. Comments on Police Department Using Night Vision Technology

Nauticomp Inc. (www.Nauticomp.com), an established display manufacturer with worldwide brand recognition, is commenting on reports that a police department used night vision technology to save a girl’s life.

After a 17-year-old girl with a medical condition went missing near Lake Barcroft during a recent winter night, Fairfax County Police sent their helicopter division to help find her. Using night vision technology and thermal cameras, the police were able to locate the missing girl in a body of water and save her life. (Source: Korff, J., “Fairfax Co. Police Helicopter Division use night vision technology to save girl’s life,” WJLA, February 9, 2016; https://wjla.com/news/local/fairfax-co-police-helicopter-division-use-night-vision-technology-to-save-girls-life.)

“Night vision technology is something many people only hear about in movies, but it has a lot of real-world applications,” says Ryan Moore, president of Nauticomp Inc. “Night vision devices have been used in the military for years, but other industries are starting to use this technology too. There are a lot of situations where night-time visibility is needed, like with this incident.”

Fairfax police were able to locate the girl using a thermal imaging camera in their helicopter. The camera picked up the girl’s body heat, allowing the officers in the helicopter to notify officers on the ground.

“Night vision technology basically allows you to see in complete darkness,” says Moore. “There are a couple different types. Here, they were using a camera that picks up on heat sources. The camera can pick up on your body heat and display that on a screen.”

The dramatic rescue was almost entirely due to the use of the night vision technology, as officers on the ground had passed directly by the girl without seeing her. The dark conditions essentially hid her, and she likely would have frozen to death in the water if the helicopter officers did not locate her.

“Night vision technology is something that’s used in a lot of life-or-death situations,” says Moore. “It wasn’t as common in police departments before, but as this event illustrates, it can be used to save lives. Night vision is also becoming more common for industrial uses, where it can be important for safety reasons and to prevent injuries.”

Moore says that as advances are made in technology, more of it becomes available to the public. He says that Nauticomp has not only seen an increase in interest in their night vision technology but also in their industry-grade monitors and displays.

“There was a time where it was just the military and the marine industry using these advanced types of technology,” says Moore. “Now you have not just police departments but even regular businesses making use of some of this gear. They are more available than ever.”

Nauticomp Inc. is an established display manufacturer with worldwide brand recognition as an innovative industry leader. It is dedicated to providing high performance displays that are at the forefront of leading edge display technology.