AIKEN, S.C. () – Law enforcement agencies across the country are increasingly using drones to fight crime—-and that includes our area.
Local law enforcement has turned to drones in recent years to be an extra eye in the sky to fight crime.
We caught up with agencies on both sides of the river to see how they’re putting these high-tech tools to use.
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office has had their drone program in place since 2023, with 14 drones and 16 certified pilots.
Major Jason Griffin says they’ve been a big resource that saves valuable time in investigations.
“Before we had drones, we would request assistance from the state law enforcement division for their helicopter—which we still utilize. However, it takes about an hour and a half for the helicopter to reach Aiken from Columbia, whereas we can deploy a drone within minutes,” mentioned Griffin.
The Sheriff’s Office owns three different types of drones; the larger units are designed for extensive crime scenes, yet the smaller drones play an important role as well.
“In situations with a barricaded suspect in a residence or business, rather than deploying a SWAT team or a dog (which we still might need to do occasionally), we can maneuver a drone through these spaces, through open doorways, and complete a full 360-degree assessment of a room to locate any hidden individuals,” explained Griffin.
As for Richmond County, they have 8 drones and 8 certified pilots, but they’re collaborating with community partners to enhance their program shortly.
“Take a burglary call, for example. If we have the ability to get a drone over the scene before an officer arrives, we aim to achieve that, and we’re currently researching extensively how to make it possible,” said Sergeant Chris Chavous.
Both agencies have utilized drones for various crime scenarios such as shootings, locating missing persons, car accidents, and even during Hurricane Helene.
“If a deputy makes a traffic stop and somebody runs from the car, or we have a missing child or individual, those deputies can throw that drone up in a matter of minutes,” said Griffin.
Richmond County recently put their drones to use when a dead body was found near the Lock and Dam.
But they, like the public, have rules to follow.
“Augusta actually has an ordinance against drones. It’s not the whole county, it’s not the whole city, but it does protect the airports. The bigger thing is, know what you’re doing, know your laws, and allow yourself to make an error—but do it in a safe way,” Chavous said.
Griffin also sharing important information about laws, based on guidelines from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).
“Drones are considered an aircraft through the FAA, so shooting down a drone if you see it flying over your house—you can’t do that, that’s against the law. You’ve probably heard stories of people smuggling drugs in using drones. That doesn’t happen here, but that does happen. Anything like that would obviously be against the law,” he said.
There have been concerns of privacy on the national level about police using drones.
Local agencies say that hasn’t been a major problem in our area, and they want to do all they can to ensure public safety and trust.
