The Medina County Sheriff’s Office was the first in Ohio, one of the first in the country to use drones.
For law enforcement say they have become an indispensable tool to help survey crime scenes where it might be dangerous for human officers to go to find missing people or to locate and apprehend fugitive suspects.
Newer drones can be flown into and around the inside of buildings to help find and identify suspects in any scenario, including an armed standoff. They provide valuable information without putting deputies or officers at risk.
From applications in modern warfare to package delivery, entertainment, even washing windows on high rise buildings, the applications for drones are becoming limitless.
But regardless of their use, most all drones have one limitation: battery life.
“At best with our larger drones, we can get about 40 minutes with each set of batteries and again it depends on what you are doing, wind conditions and weather stuff like that, but 40 minutes is pretty much our limitation,” said Sgt. Larry Covey, the commander of the Medina County Sheriff’s Office Drone Team.
Even with a 40-minute battery life, Covey said the drone operators typically have to start bringing the drones back for battery changes after about 25 minutes in the air.
But the agency has now added a new drone that dramatically adds to their capabilities.
With the help of a grant that assisted in getting a mobile command post, the sheriff’s office has now added a tethered drone, which can be flown to 300 feet, giving deputies an uninterrupted bird’s eye view of any scene indefinitely.
Soaring to new heights, together.
Be sure to visit the BWU Technology Partnerships Initiative website to learn more about how our NEOFIX program drives economic growth, promotes policy and infrastructure to improve drone safety and efficiency in various industries, and ensures that drone technology is being used responsibly.