PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A new law that took effect this year in Florida forced local law enforcement to ground many of their drone programs due to perceived safety concerns over where those drones were made, often in China.
Now, after a nearly $60,000 investment, the drones are back for the Port St. Lucie Police Department, and one organization that works with law enforcement couldn’t be happier.
For nearly a quarter century, Gene Saunders’ mission at Project Lifesaver has been ground based.
“To protect wanderers, should they get out and wander,” Saunders said Wednesday at his Port St. Lucie headquarters.
Project Lifesaver has rescued nearly 100 people locally and 4,000 nationwide.
Families with a loved one with Alzheimer's, or on the autism spectrum, sign up to get a radio transmitter put on the person who may walk away.
For a time, they had a drone to aid in their work, but that became too expensive.
So, Saunders was thrilled to hear that Port St. Lucie police have restarted their drone team.
Six officers are trained to fly, each with a new drone carrying a nearly $10,000 price tag.
The most critical thing the drone does is help the agency work quickly when minutes count.
“We found that if we responded within the first 30 minutes of the call, 69% of the time we located that person with dementia, a runaway child, or a fleeing suspect, we were able to find them,” Port St. Lucie Police Sgt. Matthew Reynolds said.
The drones, made here in the USA, arereplacing ones made in China.
“As far as security concerns, nothing ever touched our network,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said residents shouldn’t be concerned about the drones flying over their homes. They have to follow the law and can only fly over a property if there’s a search warrant approved, or in life endangering circumstances.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office plans to auction off their Chinese made drones.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office has grounded most of their fleet for the time being.
Martin County uses American-made drones, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said their drone program remains operational as originally formed.
“So, we’re excited to have these back up," Reynolds said. "To me they’re an improvement over our other fleet.”
Saunders said anytime you can get an eye in the sky, it saves a lot of tough ground work.
“Every tool you have in your toolbox makes it much easier to do your job and do it well,” he said.
