DAYTON, Ohio — A missing child and escaped killers from a prison breakout are believed to be hiding after dark in the same backwoods area. Swarms of rescuers and police officers converge and search with night-vision goggles.
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Unlike the American military, many police, park rangers and rescue squads that would like to have night-vision goggles can't afford them.
"Super expensive," said Montgomery County Sheriff Gary Haines.
The sheriff's office gets by with a couple of older night-vision binoculars for the SWAT team and night surveillance.
"They're unbelievable. They're definitely a help," said Maj. Ron Casey. But the department doesn't have the money for more night-vision equipment that it wants, he said, especially the latest high-quality goggles.
Teams formed by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to respond to prison disturbances have trained with night-vision goggles, but the agency doesn't own any.
"It's kind of on their wish list," said department spokesman Joe Andrews.
Members of the Miami Valley Urban Search and Rescue Task Force also have trained with borrowed night-vision goggles.
"They're impressive," said spokesman Scott Hall. The military probably would lend the rescue squad goggles in an emergency, he said, but the squad cannot afford to buy them.
"It's very expensive technology," Hall said. "There are a whole lot of other trinkets that can be bought before that."
Specialized Technical Services of suburban Beavercreek sells its latest goggles to the military for $12,000 to $14,000 apiece. Company chairman Robert Lupini says he expects the cost to drop by as much as 30% with increased sales and production.
"Even on a starlit night when it's really black out there for our own eyes, there's always a little light," said Lupini. "This device amplifies that light about 50,000 times."
The battery-powered goggles also detect heat, enabling users to better spot enemy troops or someone lost in the woods at night. And the goggles have infrared technology so they can be used where there is no light, such as in caves.
Designed for aggressive movements, the goggles are smaller than conventional equipment and can be attached to helmets. The optics, encased in hard plastic, are made to withstand pressures at 50 feet under the sea and altitudes of 50,000 feet.
