Tulare County Sheriff's Office UAV Program is Officially Airborne

In March of 2016, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office received its first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) commonly called, a law enforcement drone. At the time, Tulare County was only the third department in the state to use this technology along with Alameda and Ventura Counties.

The Sheriff’s Office has been working diligently during the past nine months preparing official policies and procedures for the safe and compliant use of the drone during law enforcement and emergency response missions.

The Sheriff’s drone has a useful flight capability of one-and-a-half miles for approximately one hour at a time but can remain working on-station for an unlimited amount of time due to a sophisticated battery and charging platform that travels with the system.

The drone also has state-of-the-art electronics and imaging capabilities that can capture live-feed video up to two miles away and “boomerang” technology that will return the drone to base if it is low on power or outside its safe flight parameters.

This technological advancement supports the vision of the Sheriff by improving the Sheriff’s Office’s ability to efficiently and effectively enforce the law, protect lives, and save valuable resources in time, personnel and money.

Its operational value greatly enhances the capabilities of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in a myriad of ways including the forensic photography of crime scenes, surveillance, natural or man-made disaster documentation, search and rescue missions, the apprehension of fleeing suspects, the service of high-risk search warrants, active shooter incidents, SWAT actions, crowd monitoring and explosive device inspection.

Sheriff Boudreaux is excited to add this amazing technology to the operational capabilities of the Sheriff’s Office as he continues to protect and serve the citizens of Tulare County with his forward-thinking approach to law enforcement.