Sheriff’s Office to purchase drones to aid in law enforcement

The Ellis County Commissioners Court recently approved the purchase of several drones by the Sheriff’s Office to use for law enforcement.

Using the Sheriff’s Forfeiture Fund, the office will purchase about eight drones, varying in size and capabilities, at an estimated cost of $66,589. Along with the drones, a year-long subscription to a secure system that will provide a live broadcast of the drones’ video to the Sheriff’s Office will be purchased.

“This drone program is going to be funded out of my forfeiture account,” Sheriff Brad Norman told the commissioners during their meeting. “In essence, the drug dealers in Ellis County are going to be purchasing these drones, and when you look at it that way, that puts a smile on my face, and I hope it does on our citizens as well. So, there’s no cost to the county on this purchase.”

Purchasing these drones is something Norman said he’s wanted to do for a while because of the many uses and benefits they offer law enforcement.

Drones can help with crime and traffic, crowd monitoring, missing persons, natural disasters, surveillance suspect tracking, SWAT response and more, he said.

“I think back to the tornado in Forreston,” Norman said. “It would have been great for us to get a better view (with drones) and even look for people with thermal imaging.”

Norman plans to purchase three different types of drones: larger ones that can fly in inclement weather with a “phenomenal” camera system and thermal imaging, a smaller drone that can be released each patrol shift, and a mini drone, about the size of someone’s hand, that can be used by the SWAT team.

“I’d much rather send a drone into a house, into a barricaded person situation, to see what we can get and have a drone shot at than have one of my troops shot at,” Norman said.

Because the drones are available through the Texas BuyBoard Purchasing Cooperative, the county does not have to go out for bid, allowing the sheriff’s office to purchase the drones soon.

Norman told the commissioners the sheriff’s office will have a “strenuous licensing program through FAA” for those operating the drones. The office also will have a supervisor who oversees the drones released on each patrol shift.

Commissioner Paul Perry asked Norman if there was a policy in place with the drones to protect “the constitutional privacy of citizens on their own property.”

“The same things, as far as the Fourth Amendment and search and seizure laws, will be in effect for this drone program as well,” Norman said. “If there’s places that we cannot get to that would require us to get a search warrant, that will still be the case even with the drone. We’re definitely mindful of our citizens’ rights.”

Originally published November 22, 2022 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/news/local/sheriff-s-office-to-purchase-drones-to-aid-in-law-enforcement/article_7ceb8134-6af1-11ed-8a4f-ef85f6482121.html