Suspects Should Sweat New Police Device

Running away from in the darkness is going to get harder for suspects, thanks to a high-tech device soon to be obtained by Chesterfield Township.

A thermal-imaging camera, similar to ones used by the to detect trapped victims, will help police spot hand or foot prints from body heat.

"That's cool stuff," Lt. Charles H. Verschaeve said Monday. "How many times do we get larceny or crimes in the middle of the night?"

Verschaeve said the camera will be stored at the station and officers will check it out in the evening.

That will help police spot any body heat at the scene about five minutes after the suspect left. Weather conditions may affect the camera's findings. The department is also equipped with night vision cameras, which produce different results than the thermal imaging device.

The lieutenant said that this purchase should help the department when the final K-9 officer, Bulzi, stops working at an undetermined time. The township has decided when the veteran police dog, a German Shepherd trained in narcotic detection, retires.

"We're going to use the dog until he can no longer work," Verschaeve said. "We don't know how long that will be."

The $5,350-device will be bought with $4,000 previously secured grant money and $1,350 from money given to the township for a police officer's participation in the County of Macomb Enforcement Team, also known as COMET.

The Chesterfield Township Board of Trustees approved the purchase Monday night at its regularly scheduled meeting.