The city will have additional eyes in the sky as four new Sky Watch platforms are added to Irving’s police program this fall, bringing the total number of platforms to seven.
Sky Watch platforms are 30-foot tall, mobile units that provide an aerial view of areas with potential for crime such as parking lots. Irving police and ICOPS can monitor from the platforms 24 hours a day, and platforms can be relocated to areas that experience a spike in crime.
“We see an immediate reduction in car burglaries and auto thefts when a Sky Watch platform is deployed to a new area,” said Assistant Police Chief Terry Zettle. “Each of the platforms is equipped with cameras that are capable of recording the activities in the immediate area, so even when a police officer is not in a platform, crime is monitored.”
The three Sky Watch towers currently in use are located at the Wal-Mart at State Highway 183 and Esters Road, Irving Mall at Belt Line Road and State Highway 183 and LA Fitness at 5550 N. MacArthur Blvd.
Watch videoPosted Nov. 7