Sheriff Utilizing Drone Equipment

The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office has 3 drones which can be utilized for various situations.  The community came forward generously last year to help with funding for the new technology.

Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze says several businesses and individuals made donations as more than $31,000 was raised.  He says there are restrictions on how the drones may be used.

Sheriff Cruze says the drones will not be used to invade peoples’ privacy.  He says one of the main uses is for locating missing persons, and in the first week of having a drone, the Sheriff’s Office was able to use it to recover a stolen vehicle.

Deputy Ryan Schutz says search and rescue is the primary use for the drones and two of them have thermal capabilities.  He says he used one of the drones last winter to find a suspect who had fled on foot, got stuck in a swamp and needed to be rescued.  Deputy Schutz says there are three people at the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office who are licensed to use the drones and they go through training every 3 months.