GRAND JUNCTION — The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office has purchased a small drone aircraft for $14,000 to use in investigations and in search- and-rescue operations.
Sheriff’s officers demonstrated the 4-foot-long, 9-pound vehicle Friday. The plane can stay airborne for an hour, fly at an altitude of 400 feet and send video and infrared images to ground controllers.
“If we get the description that (a missing) mountain biker has a red shirt on or a yellow helmet, we can search for the bright yellow, but also if they are somewhat concealed under foliage, we can go to infrared and look for their heat signature,” said Ben Miller, who runs the office’s remotely piloted aircraft program.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is one of three law enforcement agencies in the U.S. operating unmanned aerial vehicles, sheriff’s spokeswoman Heather Benjamin said.
Mesa County authorities are called to an average of 70 rescue attempts a year. Officials said the plane could also be useful for observation during wildfires.
The plane has manual pilot capabilities but is most useful and efficient on autopilot, allowing its operators to type into a computer where they want the plane to fly.
Officials say the office has Federal Aviation Administration permission to fly the drone anywhere in Mesa County in daylight hours.
The Sheriff’s Office said the technology will not replace any deputies. The department also has a remotely controlled helicopter, but it costs more to fly, cannot stay aloft as long and is more vulnerable to bad weather.
