Two law enforcement officers prepare to launch a drone. Locally, drones are becoming a popular addition in helping police and sheriff departments in fighting crime. Submitted photo

Some law enforcement agencies have gone airborne in their efforts to combat crime and support police operations.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and the Jamestown Police Department both have fielded drone units/teams in recent years. Officers who pilot the drones have commendations from various supervisors and command staff within their respective departments.

“We have five drone pilots,” said Sgt. Adam McAdoo of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office. “These deputies have greatly enhanced our ability to get the ‘big picture’ when we arrive at a high-stress scene.”

McAdoo said the drones are cost effective, enhance officer safety, provide up-to-the-minute, live-intelligence and help officers get a jump on calls for service where time is of the essence.

“In cases like a missing child or say an autistic child who’s wandered off, the drone pilot can cover a large area, quicker and more efficiently, than a line of police officers and search party members, walking shoulder-to-shoulder,” he said. “We used drones recently during a dangerous standoff. We flew our smaller drones into the house to get a layout and find out where the suspects were, prior to our SWAT Team (Special Weapons and Tactics Team) making entry.”

The standoff McAdoo referenced happened Sept. 3, and involved Jensen Vazquez, 38, and Kylah Seiberg, 29, both of Jamestown, after an attempt to charge the pair as the result of a weeks-old shooting investigation turned into a drug trafficking investigation as well. The address – 84 Victoria Ave., Jamestown, is also the site of an Aug. 17 shooting.

The intelligence provided by the drone operators proved invaluable and greatly enhanced officer safety during this high-tense and dangerous operation, said McAdoo.

“The usage of drones is a great benefit to various functions of the Sheriff’s Office. We initially acquired the drones to assist in missing persons cases but have expanded the use to assist in safely clearing buildings,” said County Sheriff James B. Quattrone. “The drones can also assist in viewing crime scenes as well as vehicle crash sites. We are extremely thankful to a Chautauqua County resident who purchased the drones for the Sheriff’s Office.”

The Jamestown Police Department officials are reporting that they have five drone licensed operators as well. Additionally, as of Aug. 26, the department is set to receive a grant from the Division of Criminal Justice Services’ Law Enforcement technology (LETECH) for a total of $285,000, of which, Jamestown Chief of Police Tim Jackson has requested $36,098.99 be used for the purchase of drones from Steel City Drones, of Carnegie, Pa. Additionally, officials are reporting that in 2023, the drone teams flew 10 missions and performed 63.5 hours of flight time in support of operations. Jackson said the department has several officers capable of deploying drones, and the equipment has been an invaluable tool in solving crimes.

According to justice.gov there are,400 law enforcement agencies in the United States using drones. That number is expected to increase in the coming years as drones become more accessible and more capable; drone usage has included search and rescue missions, accident and crime scene reconstruction, overwatch during high attendance events, intelligence gathering, during natural disasters, fugitive apprehension, Supporting officers serving warrants, hostage negotiations, assisting other government agencies and obtaining video footage for criminal investigations and inspections of police radio towers

In a survey conducted by the United States Department of Justice, in 2022, of law enforcement agencies that allow drone usage as part of their modus operandi reported the following.

-90.82% of agencies authorize use for search and rescue missions.

-84.69% of agencies report use for crime scene photography and reconstruction.

-83.67% of agencies authorized for Investigating armed and dangerous suspects.

-83.67% of agencies report use for disaster response mitigation.

-80.6% of agencies authorize traffic collision reconstruction.

-68.37% of agencies report use for bombs and hazardous materials observation.

-63.27% of agencies authorized for fugitive apprehension efforts.

-51.025 of agencies report use for Crowd monitoring (e.g., outdoor music festival.)

-26.53% of agencies authorize surveillance missions (general surveillance of high crime areas.)

McAdoo said, “drones have changed the landscape of how we conduct law enforcement operations and probably will continue to do so in the near future.”