The Oceana County Sheriff's Office was pleased to demonstrate its new drone for the public at a special press conference at the Oceana County Service Building, Thursday, Oct. 8. The Skydio X10 drone purchased earlier this year cost just over $31,000 and has been in use since July. Funds were made available through the generous giving of many individuals, families including the Tim Tate Estate, and local organizations, the Oceana Community Foundation and Women Who Care.
Sheriff Craig Mast explained that drones are being used nationwide to assist with all types of calls for service. After extensive research, the department decided on the Skydio, a drone that is manufactured in the U.S., which Mast said was very important to the department.
Mast wished to especially thank his administration, Deputy Dale Thompson and Mason County Sheriff Department for their help in “...getting this drone in the air, literally.”
“It’s been an awesome tool (already) even for just routine calls where you wouldn't think of it. It's come in very, very handy for us,” Deputy Brendan Nienhuis said.
The drone is capable of carrying lightweight equipment and supplies like a life vest, medications or other items to people who are out of reach. The drone also has a camera and comes equipped with thermal imaging capabilities, Mast explained.
Prior to having the drone, the department had to rely on other law enforcement partners for this type of work, Mast said. “Now we can do some of our own work and help other agencies if they need it.”
Its capabilities are yet to be fully realized, but Mast sees the potential of it being a huge safety benefit. “We can search areas (and) we don't have to put our deputies at risk. We could have the drone come in and search, find a heat signature, and know if somebody's there or if they're not there. It's a way of protecting our people, our staff, (and) our community,” Mast added.
According to Mast, the drone has been called up 32 times since July to help in different investigations, crime scenes, accident scenes, missing persons and water emergencies.
“There's a long list of things that the drone gets called out for. So it's really quite exciting that we've got a resource like this here in Oceana County. We had a little bit to do with it, but the community had a lot to do with it,” Mast said. “I really want to say thank you to my staff. They make me look good. They do a lot of the hard work behind the scenes. I've got a lot of really good (people) and it's a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to thank (them) all and to show the good work that they're doing in the community.”
