Columbia County Sheriff’s Department purchase two drones Inside were two members of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office: drones. “If it was up to me, we’d already be using them,” said Chochol, who refers to the devices as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles because the word drone is often associated with military-type operations. “I’m just waiting to get final FAA approval because all government use is regulated by them.” Columbia County has not received a timetable for how long the approval process will take, but members of the sheriff’s office have been experimenting with the technology for nearly a year. Deputy Erick Jessee is one of six department members trained to fly the devices, and says, “I’m well-prepared and ready to use them in actual investigations.” Both UAV’s were purchased by the sheriff’s office, which plans to use them to take video and photographs of fatal wrecks. They’ll also be used to locate fleeing suspects, as well as assist with missing-persons investigations. Chochol says the county has applied for FAA approval and could hear back at any time. As for right now, department members are only allowed to fly UAV’s at its training facility on Range Road in Appling. However, with assistance from a Special Response Team, the devices have [...] geogianews/columbia-county-sheriffs-department-purchase-two-drones/
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 01:00:39 +0000