The NYPD is now testing them in the field and they are already proving to be invaluable.
Monday night, two officers in a helicopter spotted crab poachers on the beach in Queens.
They're the eyes in the sky for the NYPD, using this advantage to catch criminals.
Monday night, Officer Lester Sanabria and his partner Chris Maher were doing their regular training exercises, when they spotted something strange along Jamaica Bay.
"We saw two boats beached off an uninhabited island so we circled around to see what they were doing. So, we went closer and saw they were taking horseshoe crabs in an area that it's illegal," said Officer Christopher Maher, NYPD.
They lowered their helicopter from about 500 feet off the ground to 200 and used their high-tech night vision goggles.
"It was pitch black. They could hear the helicopter but they had no idea we saw everything with these night vision goggles," said Officer Lester Sanabria, NYPD.
"What we do is we fold this down. They sense any light, no matter what. It comes like a green picture like a TV screen," Maher said.
Sure enough, after their 40 minute chase they found the men had 200 crabs on board.
The officers say without these goggles they would not have been able to catch these men, but clearly they were on their game.
In case you are wondering why someone would steal crabs, the pharmaceutical industry uses their blood to sanitize medical equipment. One quart can cost a whopping $15,000.
These officers admit they had no idea, but what they do know a lot about is great police work.
