In Flagstaff, Arizona, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit's UAS program is approximately two years old. 

The agency started its program after purchasing consumer UAS such as the DJI Phantom 4, and currently, there are four people trained to fly UAS, with each having earned a standard FAA Part 107 Drone Pilot License.

Right now, the UAS are mainly used to search for missing people, as they can be deployed to efficiently search open meadows and stretches of desert, which not only saves boots on the ground, but also allows search and rescue supervisors to better use volunteers searching places that are not ideal for UAS, such as under tree canopies.

The department’s UAS are equipped with a camera that transmits a live video feed to the operator while simultaneously recording the video on a memory card, but the UAS cannot carry a payload, which is an area that Deputy Paul Clifton, the officer tasked with developing the UAS program, hopes to address in the future.

“In terms of equipment, we do want to expand our capabilities such as the use of thermal imaging, especially for the winter and to use at night,” Clifton explains via the Arizona Daily Sun.

“Eventually we want to be able to expand into aircraft that would be able to carry a payload. If we have a subject that is stuck in a location that is going to take us a while to access, it would be great to be able to get a radio to them to be able to talk to them, to get them food and water.”

Clifton says that the next step is “better sensors, better cameras, then it’s payload,” all of which are subject to FAA rules. Additionally, Clifton adds, they are working to get certifications and waivers to fly in restricted airspaces close to airports such as Flagstaff, Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

Until then, though, the addition of UAS has given volunteers and deputies tasked with rescuing lost persons another valuable tool when out in the field.

“It’s a big puzzle, these searches, and I think that’s part of the fun of it,” Sgt. Aaron Dick says. “To do the investigating, get all of the puzzle pieces together and work out what you need to do to resolve it.”