By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
The City of Independence just approved an interlocal agreement with the Kenton County Sheriff and the Kenton County jail at its last meeting to initiate a drone program in the area. The agreement indicates that the three agencies will be able to work together on acquiring a drone, and then use it to locate people.
“Other agencies in Northern Kentucky have drones, but drones are very necessary for searches, especially in rural areas, so usually all drones are necessary,” said Independence Police Chief Brian Ferayorni.
He said they have a drone pilot at the Independence Police and there is a pilot at the jail, so as soon as they are able to get a drone, they are qualified to use it.
“The FAA has all the rules for drones,” said Ferayorni. “All people who want to fly these drones have to go through training, and pass an aeronautical knowledge test.”
He said they aren’t aware of any grants that might be available to be able to help with the cost of the drone, but they do have a couple of minor grade donation type grants, such as from the railroad, for about a thousand dollars, but he estimates the kind of drone that they want should cost about $12,000, and a deployment box, which will go on top of the jail, should take that total cost up to about $20,000.
“You could spend up to $50,000 to $60,000 for top of the line drones,” Ferayorni explained.
While Independence is the new kid on the block as far as drones go, the Kenton County Police have had a drone for about 7 or 8 years.
“We use it for search and rescue,” said Sergeant Trevor Rohe, who is one of the pilots of the drone. “The drone gives us an eye in the sky. It lets us see a bigger picture, and that gives us more dimension in our searches.”
He said there are a wide variety of drones and they are available in sizes as big as a small car. Most of the drones on the market now have cameras on them, but not all of them have thermal imaging features on them.
The city of Erlanger has had a drone for a while, and they also have two pilots, so that the drone can be available at any time it is needed whether it is searching for people or objects. Their drone has a camera for still shots or video, and it was used very recently, to capture a suspect in a burglary. After a high speed chase, the suspect crashed on the Brent Spence bridge, and then climbed into the intricate web of steel beams underneath the bridge where the police couldn’t locate him at first. But then Erlanger launched their drone, and due to the thermal imaging, they were able to detect a heat signature and get their guy.
“Our department is committed to staying on the cutting edge of law enforcement trends,” said Erlanger Police Chief Kyle Rader. “Recently, drone technology played a key role in assisting with incidents both within Erlanger, and during a high-profile mutual aid call. By providing our officers with top-tier training and advanced tools, we ensure they are always prepared to serve the community effectively, keeping our residents safe and secure.”
The city of Elsmere has had its drone since 2001 and is looking at procuring an updated version of its drone.
“We regularly train our officers on using the drone to find people, whether they are criminals or endangered individuals,” Chief Russell Woods explained. “We had one pursuit where the person was supposed to be armed and dangerous, a multi-jurisdictional pursuit that came from Ohio into Kentucky, and they were able to get the car stopped. They asked for our drone, and we flew it around the car to see what the situation was, if the person was getting ready to jump out and start shooting, or what he was doing. Due to the pictures from the drone we were able to see that the suspect had taken a lethal dose of fentanyl, it exploded inside the car.
Finally, we were able to have police approach the car, but since there was obviously fentanyl all over, they had to approach with respirators and protective gear to protect themselves. Ultimately they were able to save his life, but without a drone, it wouldn’t have been as good an ending.”
He also showed video of the officers training in a wooded area trying to find another officer in a simulation of a search for a person. There is not only a camera and a thermal imaging system, but there is also a microphone, so officers can soothe frightened people who don’t understand the drone, or warn suspects that they need to give up.
“We have had the drone since October of 2001,” he said. “At the time, it cost about $8,000.”
The city of Florence has a total of three drones, and 4 operators for those drones.
“The main use for the drones is to locate fleeing suspects, or missing persons,” said Captain Greg Rehkamp. “We do use the drones for other things, such as major accident scenes, and happier things like the Fourth of July event, or the Honor Run, or Halloween or the Memorial Day parade, giving an aerial view of the festivities.”
He said the city’s drone program started in 2018, and between the equipment and the training of the operators, which included getting FAA licenses, cost about $7,000 total.
Boone County also has a drone program, as does a few other cities, but as Chief Ferayorni says, all drones are useful.
Ferayorni, like the other police chiefs, is aware of keeping his city safe, which is why he wants to be part of a drone program, and City council members all seemed to be on board with approving the interlocal agreement, as was the mayor.
“We are the second largest city in the county, so we should have this,” Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman said at the meeting. “I am very excited about this.”