Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Implements Drone Technology to Enhance Public and Officer Safety Capabilities

NEW YORK, New York — Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office enlisted Adorama Business Solutions, the premier technology resource for corporate, educational, and government institutions, to help purchase and incorporate drone technology into the department’s equipment arsenal as part of its mission to ensure public safety. 

Baldwin County traditionally relied on officers on the ground, in addition to helicopters, to respond to crime scenes and monitor public safety at events. Seeing the capabilities and advancements in drone technology gave impetus for Baldwin County to invest in the addition of drones to its equipment line-up. 

Through discovery conversations with Lt. Daniel Steelman regarding the Sheriff’s office equipment requirements, budget, and potential use cases for drones, Adorama Business Solutions recommended a suite of DJI products, including the: DJI Matrice 200, DJI Inspire, DJI Mavic Pro 2, DJI Mavic Air, and DJI Spark. Since implementing the technology, the drones have increased officer safety and enabled officers to respond to situations much quicker than they previously could with manpower alone. 

Currently, the department uses drones for a range of circumstances, including, but not limited to:

• Crime scene photography and documentation to capture images otherwise impossible. 
• Surveillance planning and operations using zoom cameras that allow officers to stay out of sight. 
• SWAT call outs that mean officers can capture images quickly and safely, reducing risk from dogs, traps and people. 
• Internal shots of buildings, so officers can see room layouts and detect any danger. 
• Large scale events to monitor traffic congestion and maintain public safety. 
• Search and rescue operations using a FLIR camera to locate missing children, elderly people and others even in the dark. 

“The use of drone technology as part of our operations enables us to respond to more situations than we could before, increasing both officer and Baldwin County resident safety,” said Lt. Daniel Steelman of Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. “From capturing overhead images of crowds and roads, to observing large areas of lands or bodies of water, Baldwin County has been able to expand our drone applications as technology evolves.”

Initially, a fixed-wing pilot from Baldwin County received an additional 40 hours of training to fly the newly implementeFd drones. Additionally, several other officers went through 18 months of drone pilot training to earn FAA certifications.

For more information on how Adorama Business Solutions Law Enforcement specialists can help incorporate drones, drone training or ongoing maintenance and other technology equipment into your department, please complete the short contact form at www.adorama.com.