For the second time, in less than a week, drone technology aided Deputies in making quick arrests of suspects wanted in connection to two home invasions.
On April 10, 2024, at approximately 5:53 a.m., deputies assigned to the Southern Precinct of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 200 block of Highland Road for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, Deputies discovered an adult female with a gunshot wound to the lower body. Within minutes, at 5:59 am, a Harford County Sheriff’s Office drone was launched to assist in the search for the suspect. Deputies using the drone located the suspect behind apartments located in the 300 block of Sunflower Drive, where he was quickly apprehended while hiding under a tree. The arrest was made without incident, at 6:14 a.m.
Three days later, on April 13 at 11:13 p.m., deputies assigned to the Southern Precinct responded to a call for a home invasion, this time with a sexual assault, that had just occurred in the 600 block of Crossgate Avenue, in Edgewood. During the immediate search for a suspect, both a K9 unit and a drone were swiftly deployed. While the HCSO K9 was actively tracking the suspect, the drone provided aerial support to aid in the pursuit. The cover officer for the K9 Team spotted a subject ahead and illuminated them with a flashlight, prompting the subject to flee on foot. The drone operator successfully tracked the subject to a residence and relayed this information to the K9 Team, enabling them to locate the suspect. Deputies safely apprehended the suspect, who had changed some of their clothing, within the hour without incident. Without the use of the drone, the suspect would have possibly escaped apprehension.
Sheriff Gahler remarked, “These types of crimes are what keep citizens awake at night. The fear that someone will enter their home and bring harm to their families is real. We anticipated that integrating drones into our patrol strategies would transform policing and enhance our abilities to keep our community safe. These two instances underscore the value of investing time, resources, and funds into this technology which resulted in the swift and safe apprehension of these suspects. I am proud of the work our Deputies do every day to ensure you and your family can sleep in peace.”
At present time, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Unit utilizes 10 Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) drones for patrol and investigative assists. Many of our unit members have access to their drones in their patrol vehicles, saving time when seconds matter. Since the Unit’s inception in May of 2021, they have been deployed on over 400 missions. Last year alone, the Unit logged 408 hours of flight time.
The Unit started in 2021, after extensive research and testing to ensure that the best drones could be incorporated to assist the Sheriff’s Office with aerial missions within the county and surrounding jurisdictions. DJI products by far encompassed the most reliable drones, having the most valuable attachments and the most advanced technological features, and having the most reasonable price. Over 91 percent of law enforcement agencies in the United States currently fly DJI products.