Drones now serve law enforcement in a variety of ways, sometimes when time is critical.
Therefore, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office sought permission from Wayne County’s commissioners during their Dec. 11 meeting to purchase two outdoor drones. Commissioners unanimously approved $57,385.14 from opioid settlement money distributed to the sheriff’s department to purchase two Skydio X10 drones for outside use.
“This drone literally checks every box that we need,” Sheriff Randy Retter said.
The drones have cameras, thermal imaging, night vision, spotlights and a speaker. Having its own drones relieves the sheriff’s department from relying on other agencies and waiting for delivery of another agency’s drone.
Major Alan Moore, the chief deputy, indicated the department will use the larger, outdoor drones for mapping crime scenes and crash sites, outdoor searches, and monitoring large public events. Purchasing two enhances accessibility throughout a day and allows continuous coverage through longer events. The drones have a 40-minute flight time.
The department is pursuing a certificate of authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to allow the sheriff’s department to develop its own training programs and certification procedures. It provides more flexibility than commercial certification for drone pilots, Moore said. The COA also enables operations in certain restricted airspaces and during night operations with proper safeguards.
Another smaller drone could be purchased in the future for indoor use. Outdoor drones are more difficult to operate in small spaces indoors because of their size and obstacle avoidance settings. An indoor drone could be used to enter a building prior to sending personnel inside, reducing risk.
X-ray machine
As part of security upgrades, Retter has requested a new X-ray machine to scan bags and other materials at the courthouse entrance.
Three quotes were presented to commissioners, with commissioners accepting a $46,459 bid from Smiths Detection. ARPA money will pay the cost.
The equipment has a larger tunnel to handle bigger bags, and the purchase includes tables leading to and from the unit. The purchase also includes two hours of training.
Report-writing software
Retter requested permission to implement report-writing software.
The software uses generative artificial intelligence to take narration from officers responding to and on scene, transcribe it and write an officer’s report. Moore said the software can ensure information in the report supports listed charges and suggest additional charges based on the report.
“The time savings on that is phenomenal,” Retter said.
Some analysts have noted that while using AI to write reports can increase efficiency, it can also introduce errors or bias, and needs human review to ensure accuracy and hold up in court.
The policereports.ai software costs $2,750 the first year for five licenses, plus three provided for free. The department would then have the second-year option for 10 licenses costing $5,500.
Commissioners unanimously approved the acquisition.
Contract approvals
Two contracts presented to commissioners during their Nov. 27 meeting were unanimously approved.
The first is an $11,450 contract with Neogov for Power DMS software that will contain department polices, track employee time, and organize information for employee evaluations and training.
The second is a $35-per-week commitment with Cintas to inventory, manage and stock cleaning and other supplies.
A version of this article appeared in the December 18 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.