A drone program at the Kanabec County Sheriff’s Office will take flight after approval from the county board.
A public hearing was held at Thursday’s meeting for input on the drone program.
Kanabec County Sheriff Brian Smith said forfeiture funds would be used to make a purchase.
Sheriff’s Office deputy Josh Arnold will be assigned as coordinator of the program. Multiple deputies and one of the investigators would also be trained on flying the drone.
"I think we are able to train ten [deputies]," Smith explained. "What the goal was is to have at least two deputies from each shift. Because we've kind of got four crews that work days and nights ... so we'd have two from each one of those crews. So no matter who was working, we would have at least one person that was qualified to fly the UAS."
Smith added that drones are a helpful tool for having an eye in the sky during searches.
"They're a great tool, especially for mapping search areas," he said. "So you can visually see where things took place."
The county board also broached the idea of the highway department sharing use of the sheriff's office's drones.
In a KBEK morning show interview on Thursday, Smith said the program will prevent the sheriff’s office from having to rely on other agencies for assistance.
"We're kind of late to the game," Smith said. "We're probably one of the last 10 percent counties that don't have a drone. We call our neighbors constantly."
The motion passed unanimously.
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