Unmanned Aircraft Systems “ Drone Program ” Mikel Edwards, Sergeant
In 2018 the department started the UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) program and purchased the City ’ s first ever UAS (Drone) to use for first responder and citizen safety. The program was established by Sgt. Mikel Edwards who was the first UAS certified pilot for the City of DeSoto and is the current Program Coordinator. The program began with just one small aircraft and has since evolved to five aircraft to include two DJI Mavic Mini ’ s, DJI Mavic Pro and DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise. The City has an approved Certificate of Authority with the FAA to operate within the territorial boundaries of DeSoto under FAA rules. The program currently has 6 certified pilots who work together to assist Police and Fire on var- ious calls that include in - progress calls (pursuits, foot chases, robberies and burglaries, active shooter, perimeter establishment, aerial search); traffic accidents, investigations and assess- ments; storm damage assessment; fires (structure, wildland, terrain); hazmat incidents; search and rescue and search warrants. The UAS can also be used for low light support - the M210 and the Mavic 2 have an attached high - powered spotlight and thermal imagery. Additionally, the M210 has a versatile payload that can carry and drop rescue equipment to drowning or stranded victims. It can also assist the Special Response Team (SRT) on their missions in criti- cal situations. The UAS is more versatile than a manned aircraft and can get into tight spots low to the ground, and much, much more!! On the non - emergency side, our pilots are certified FAA Part 107 pilots, thus allowing the following uses for the UAS: Economic Development (Current images of land to be used for planning and zoning and City Council); Parks & Recreation (Inspection of fields, turf, structures, etc.); City buildings (roof and tower inspections; City code inspections, aerial inspections of ongoing construction within the City; Public events (aerial video/photos of city hosted parades and other similar events). DeSoto has also joined with PSURT (Public Safety Unmanned Response Team) to provide a regional response to incidents. Each pilot has been tested and approved through PSURT to op- erate on various platforms and on various missions. The DeSoto Police Department is commit- ted to operating our UAS ’ s within the law and we do not allow our operators to violate the con- stitutional rights of our citizens.
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