Public Safety Agencies Beginning To Use Drones

(CBS) -- A seven alarm fire in Gurnee and a police chase through a cornfield in Tinley Park last week had something in common: assistance from the skies.

Drone technology was used in both cases. Gurnee police and fire officials used a drone to fly over the fire, which broke out in a propane-storage facility, to ensure that nearby homes did not need to be evacuated as the flames spread.

Meanwhile, Tinley Park police used a flying device to search for three suspects who fled into a cornfield after crashing into multiple vehicles including a police squad car. The drone used by police is owned by Orland Park Police, and Deputy Chief Tom Kenealy says the drones are a tool to police, though there is certainly room for improvement.

Kenealy says those changes include legislative decisions and continued technological advances.