Special to WGCU A missing elderly man was found in a wooded area in Golden Gate in April 2019 after Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies used drones to track his whereabouts. "Fortunately, the drone was able to provide us with the necessary information without having the subject shoot one of our SWAT members." "The drone was able to locate the subject and then the subject shot down the drone," she said. She described an instance in 2021 when a now-prohibited drone was used inside a house to locate a subject who had already shot at law enforcement.
"Other public safety partners, such as the fire and EMS, use our drones during building fires and brushfires using infrared technology for heat signatures." "CCSO’s drone unit is used on a regular basis for missing persons, mentally ill subjects, attempting to locate fleeing felons, etc.," Partington said. She added that the Sheriff's Office will be purchasing additional drones to replace the drones that are now prohibited. "In addition, to ensure compliance with the statutory January 1, 2023, deadline that only drones from the Department’s Approved Manufacturer List be utilized, CCSO purchased three Skydio drones," Kari Partington, Media Relations Bureau Manager for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, said. The Sheriff's Office made more than 9,048 flight as of August 2022. The Collier County Sheriff's Office drone program supported daily law enforcement operations since 2012 with 29 drone pilots and a fleet of 31 DJI drones when the new rules were went into effect January 1, 2023. The department will also be replacing drones that are now prohibited under state law. Special to WGCU The Fort Myers Police Department said drones are a valuable tool they department uses for many different incidents to include missing persons and in areas that are difficult to reach. "We are evaluating our options as we will need to purchased new drones after thorough evaluations of what is within the state law," said spokeswoman Sgt. The Sheriff's Office did not respond to a formal request for information on the drone issue.Ī Fort Myers Police Department official said that agency also uses drones and was affected like many other agencies across the state, by the new drone law. The Dragon Fish drone lists online in a range from $90,000 to more than $112,000, depending on equipment provided. The replacement cost of the Dragon Fish long range drone is unknown. The estimated replacement cost of LCSO’s Mavic small drones are $15,000 per drone, while replacement of LCSO’s Matrice medium-range drones are $50,000 to $65,000 per drone. This change makes 38 of LCSO’s 41 drones obsolete at the end of this year. Special to WGCU A drone used by the Lee County Sheriff's Office is a Chinese-made model that is now prohibited for use under a state law.įurthermore, under the listing of drone replacements, the Sheriff's Office budget made the following request: "Florida enacted legislation this year that restricts what drones law enforcement and other governmental agencies can use. Beginning in 2023, only approved drones can be used due to security concerns." For example, Florida this year severely restricted law enforcement’s ability to use its existing fleet of drones. LCSO Command Staff will identify and discuss unanticipated needs arising outside of traditional operations to determine how best to meet the challenge. "LCSO will work with Lee County Administration and budget for future operational costs. In the Sheriff's Office budget documents issued in June 2022, there was a paragraph under the heading of Strategic Plan pertaining to the Chinese-drone issue: The law effectively made 38 of LCSO’s 41 drones obsolete at the end of 2022. The law, Florida statute 934.50, provides a list of approved drones with many that had been used by law enforcement and many other state agencies not on that list.įor example, the Lee County Sheriff's Office had a fleet of drones, particularly one called the DragonFish, which is manufactured by Autel, a Chinese-related firm and not on that approved list. The list, as of April 5, also bans drones made in Iran, North Korea and Venezuela, among other countries.
A recent Florida law regulating the use of Chinese-made drones prohibited the drones used by some SWFL law enforcement agencies and forced budget requests for new drones of up to $150,000.Ī recent story reported by the Digital Camera World web site said that the law, backed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis and banning the use of Chinese-made drones in Florida, has gone into force, grounding millions of dollars worth of police and state-service-owned drones overnight.
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