LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Soon the Phantom will be hovering along the lakeside cliffs in Lakewood.
But don’t be alarmed. The Phantom is a video surveillance drone the city just bought.
It will be used to monitor the cliffs’ erosion beginning this spring.
The Phantom is battery-powered and uses GPS technology to find problem areas.
It weighs only a few pounds and carries a mounted camera. When the battery is low, it flies back to its home base on its own.
The device cost about $1,200 but it should save the city money.
Joe Beno, the public works director, said using the drone means the city will no longer need to rent a boat or pay someone to rapel down the cliffs.
Mayor Michael Summers said jobs are not expected to be impacted.
The Phantom is manufactured by DJI.
