By: Ryan Duey

Drones were first used by civilian law enforcement in the early 2000s, when military-grade drones were introduced. The first drone specifically designed for law enforcement was the Spectra, developed in 2005 by retired US Air Force medic Gene Robinson. The Spectra was used for search and rescue operations.

Three years ago, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office purchased a drone. Sheriff Alan Benninga explained the many different things the drone can be used for to aid the department.

“We have used it to locate people. We might use it to locate a runaway or maybe a walk away elderly person, someone who may be injured, or a suspect in a crime. The drone that we have does have a regular daytime camera and it has also infrared that can be used to detect heat at night. There’s a pretty endless amount of things that we can use it for.”

The drone also takes still photos, which is a great asset during accident or crime scene investigations. Benninga said they had deployed it multiple times to locate people, including recently.

Deputy Paul Bishop mans the drone.  He had to complete an extensive class in order to properly operate it.

“We sent a deputy to kind of a condensed version of a class for a single-man private plane. They learned about wind, airspace, aeronautic right aways, airports, runways, and things like that. It was a pretty extensive class for operating something a lot of people just consider a toy.”

Benninga said the drone has saved them many steps, it can keep going and doesn’t get tired as long as the batteries are charged. He said this is one those of tools that, if you need it, you really need it. It has been a great asset to the County in the few years the Sheriff’s Office has owned it.