SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP — To supplement existing deputy dispatches, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has launched a Drones As First Responders program, originally reported by our news partner WCPO Cincinnati.
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The goal was to have 15 Skydio drones by the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027 with three in ‘docks’ across the county and the rest in deputy cruisers, according to Lt. Steve Sabers.
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Kevin Boyle with Skydio says these specific drones allow the pilot to see all calls for service in the region and dispatch a drone with the click of a button, according to WCPO Cincinnati.
“So no longer do we have to rely on manual pilots that have weather conditions standing outside on a cold day in Ohio,” Boyle said.
The drone pilots would have special waivers for first responders, according to WCPO, from the FAA to be able to operate the drones out of their line-of-sight and over cars and people.
The drones can be piloted remotely anywhere with a cell signal, WCPO says.
“Our expectation is this will never replace the officers on the street,” Sabers said.
Sabers says the plans are to use the drones to assess scenes before deputies or officers arrive. They could also provide over-watch, Sabers said, in potentially dangerous situations like traffic stops or domestic violence.
“We hope to identify certain calls that we always want to send a drone to, and, keeping in guidelines with Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office policy, we might remove the need for someone to approve that flight and just autonomously send a drone to that call.”
The sheriff’s office says they have no intention of adding offensive capabilities to the drones.
The Skydio drones, docks and pilot systems were all made possible as part of a 10-year contract the office entered into with Axon, a company that also provides body-worn cameras, dashboard cameras and data systems for them, WCPO says.
Boyle said the systems all work together allowing for things like the geolocation of deputies who may not know or be able to convey their location to dispatchers, according to WCPO.
The drone program could reduce man-hours on service calls by 20 percent, Sabers told WCPO.
“All we want to do is give our communities one more tool to keep our officers safe and to keep them safe,” Boyle said.
The office said exactly where the drones would be deployed and how they’re used would change based on feedback from deputies in the field.
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