By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office wants a new, high-end drone to help in emergencies and investigations.
They’re applying for a grant from the Washington State Commerce Department, to the tune of almost $47,000, to purchase a “technologically advanced unmanned aircraft vehicle” (UAV) which they say will significantly enhance their current drone program.
That’s a lot of money, but Undersheriff Ron Cameron says there’s more to the program than the drone itself.
“So, part of the package will be to train more people and get them their official license. Like you say, we do have a program here, but it’s largely manned by a series of volunteers with their personal drones. The department does have a cheaper drone but, you know, this one is far and away much better.”
The upgraded UAV could be used for court-approved close range surveillance, investigating armed and dangerous suspects, search and rescue, crime scene photography, and fugitive apprehension, to name a few examples.
But Cameron, who heads up the Emergency Management Department, is excited about the possibilities in that realm, as well.
“Oh yeah, emergency management, it just goes on and on what it can be used for. You know, one thing that comes to mind, where I used a drone before, remember the slide out at Clallam Bay? We got some beautiful drone footage that we brought back to our engineers here locally, that they were able to give us a little bit of analysis of what to expect. And, they were right on. But those are just some examples. You know, fire? If you’ve got a wildfire? So, emergency management, the possibilities are endless.”
The grant application is still moving through the approval process, but we’ll keep you posted.