THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE ARTICLE BY JENNIFER BAILEY
ABOVE: Vermilion County Sheriff Department’s Division Investigations Captain Mike Hartshorn and Patrol Captain Tye Pasquale with a drone. (Jennifer Bailey/The News Gazette)
DANVILLE — With a new location for Balloons Over Vermilion this year at Kennekuk County Park, there were challenges for area law enforcement.
The Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department used a drone to monitor traffic patterns to see what they need to do different for the future. But they also used it more as a perimeter watch, too, with the event being at a county park rather than the airport and its confined fenced-in area. If a child or someone wandered off out of sight in the woods or somewhere, the department could send someone to check on them to make sure everything was fine.
At another big annual summer event, the sheriff’s department can use its drones at the Vermilion County Fair if there’s an incident, such as a group of people causing trouble.
The unmanned aircraft system can be used for real-time aerial monitoring for participant and attendee safety, according to sheriff’s department officials.
The department gives at least 24-hour public notice, as required by law, through social media when using the drones.
FOR MORE FROM THIS ARTICLE PLEASE GO TO https://www.news-gazette.com/news/drones-new-app-additional-tools-for-vermilion-county-sheriffs-department/article_692bd618-6e00-4ff9-a5fc-e9bc194e984a.html
