By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—The Henry County Sheriff’s Office unveiled a new tool today: a UAV, an unmanned aerial vehicle, which is commonly referred to as a drone.
“It’s one more tool in our toolbox,” Sheriff Monte Belew said. The UAV can be used in a wide range of emergency uses, such as chasing suspects, tracking people who are lost or runaways, and used in conjunction with tracking dogs.
Corporal Jim Sanders is certified by the FAA and received extensive training to operate the device, which can be elevated up to 400 feet, move up to 48 mph, and is hooked up to a portable monitor on which law enforcement can see what the UAV is seeing.
Sanders noted the UAV can be used to document crime scenes and is especially beneficial when crime scenes change over time while cases are still pending in court.
The UAV has heat sensors which can pick up human or anial heat sources and both the UAV and monitor have good resolution, allowing law enforcement to even detect people hiding behind objects, which makes it a good safety measure for officers.
Belew said the Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter already is available to the sheriff’s office for searches and other emergencies, but there is immediate availability with the UAV. In time, other personnel will be trained on the equipment, he said.
Belew said utilizing the UAV is a proactive measure for the sheriff’s office. “It’s an awesome tool for us,” he said.
The UAV costs $1,469, with the thermal optical camera at $1,763, and the practice drone at $681.
“It may seem expensive,” Belew said, “but it’s inexpensive in the results it gives”.
The Sheriff’s Office already has been using the UAV on cases, notably a recent situation in which a runaway teenager became lost inside a cornfield. Sanders said, “She was scared and screaming” and the UAV was able to find her.
Belew said the device will help ensure officers’ safety as well as help resolve cases.
“It’s valuable equipment—valuable for us,” Sanders said. “It’s very cost-effective and cost-efficient. It’s an awesome tool.”
Sanders and Belew noted that there are regulations as to which type of situations the UAV can be used for and that unwanted surveillance information that isn’t used in a case must be deleted in 24 hours.
Photos: Sheriff Monte Belew (and his K9 Si) and Cpl. Jim Sanders demonstrating equipment at today’s press conference.
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