The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office has advanced in technology with unmanned aircrafts that serve as an overwatch and a safety barrier for the community and first responders.
The drones and pilots, accompanied by their instructors, were at the Geauga County Fairgrounds in Burton on April 11 to hone and show off their skills in windy, rainy, wintery weather.
The drones, with an optical camera attached, are capable of providing a birds-eye view of critical and dynamic scenes where an aerial vantage point is advantageous to safety forces on the scene. This minimizes potential harm to officers, firefighters and other first responders.
The larger drone, called the Inspire 1, is able to attach a thermal camera — which amplifies heat and is not dependent on daylight — that is displayed to the pilot in different shades of colors.
The other unmanned aerial vehicle platform to be deployed is the DJI Mavic Pro, one of the most popular consumer drones on the market today.
“The drones will hopefully assist us in various law enforcement, fire, EMS, any type of emergencies that we could possibly use them for,” sheriff’s office Chief Deputy Tom Rowan said.
He explained the drones could be used to first responders deal with flooding, assist firefighters in determining the best method to attack fires or how to safely position deputies when someone barricade themselves in a home or building.
They also could be used to help in situations such as missing children and search and rescue, or to help locate people, hikers or hunters lost in the woods, he added.
“Years ago, if someone was lost in the woods, we’d muster as many guys as we could, we’d call the fire departments and, if Life Flight was available, we’d call and see if they could fly over. It’s a huge manpower thing,” Rowan said. “But with drones we could do it with a few less people, in that example, and cover more ground, more efficiently. With a drone, you put it up over a patch of woods and you’d be able to fly a good block and look for somebody who’s out there.”
The drones are also capable of carrying a payload, such as a package, emergency medical equipment or flotation devices, and dropping it into remote areas without placing first responders at risk while trying to save a life, said Tri-C Police Chief Clayton A. Harris, who also is dean and vice president of the Public Safety Training Institute, one of the college’s six Centers of Excellence.
Harris said drone pilots also have the ability to wear goggles to get an “absolute first-person view of exactly what the platform is seeing.”
“I had the opportunity to wear the first-person goggles, which puts you in the cockpit so to speak,” Claypool said. “I experienced, firsthand, the ability to see ‘up close’ a given situation while remaining at a safe distance. It was easy to see how the information gained could be used to improve decision-making.”
The sheriff’s office partnered with the Geauga County Department of Emergency Services to purchase the remote-controlled aircraft to be used for emergency-related items.
“This is going to be able to be used for all Geauga County,” DES Director Roger Peterson told Geauga County Commissioners Skip Claypool and Tim Lennon, both of whom were on hand for the April 11 demonstration. “If Thompson police needs it, we can help them. If Bainbridge fire needs it, we can help them out.”
Peterson told the commissioners Geauga bought the same equipment neighboring Lake County purchased, allowing aircraft and pilots to be shared when necessary.
“I think it’s a great investment,” said Lennon. “If this saves one life, it’s worthy every cent.”
Claypool said the commissioners’ office and Peterson began a conversation about drone technologies and the benefits about a year ago.
“That conversation included the benefits, the business case and the technologies that might be selected,” Claypool said. “This conversation resulted in the commissioners approving funding for the purchase of a drone and some related technologies.”
He added, “From the beginning, our drone technologies have been intended to be a county resource to be shared with our sheriff, local police, fire and other responders.”
Five deputies recently completed a 40-hour FAA-approved class through Cuyahoga Community College’s Unmanned Aerial Systems Drone Academy to become FAA licensed to operate and deploy the drones.
“The course included written/study material and a hands-on practical portion,” said Deputy Nathan Mitchell, who along with the other selected sheriff’s deputies had expressed interest in participating in the program.
Next up is passing an independent FAA remote pilot exam, he said.
Mitchell added the FAA has specific restrictions that each pilot must strictly adhere to, including altitude — 400 feet — and flight distance — a pilot must maintain a visual line of sight of the aircraft. In certain cases, however, the FAA does offer waivers to some of the restrictions, such as nighttime flights, he said.
Detective Jon Bilicic, another pilot, noted the sheriff’s office will have a defined set of policies and procedures for each team member to follow.
“These policies will be specific to our team members and in addition to any FAA regulations already mandated to remote pilots,” Bilicic said. “The drones will be used in accordance to those predetermined policies.”
He explained drones would not be utilized in routine patrol, unless an incident arises where the application becomes necessary.
“The drone also could be utilized in criminal investigations. However, if it’s within someone’s right to privacy, a warrant will be obtained before use, just as it would be with any other investigative tactic currently utilized by the sheriff’s office.”
In addition to the five certified deputies, three DES first responders have also been trained as pilots.
“This technology and the potential uses will only get better. I think the commissioners made a good decision to be a leader in this kind of technology and to position our DES organization to develop skills and experience that will improve the safety of our residents,” Claypool said. “I am excited about the possibilities.”
