In Florida, Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies recently used a UAS to find and safely recover a missing elderly man.

The man became lost for more than two hours after wandering from his residence. After the man failed to return to his residence, the Sheriff’s Office was contacted, and a ground search was conducted by patrol deputies, with help from the K9 Unit, Agriculture Unit, Traffic Unit and Investigations Division. Meanwhile, the Aviation Unit searched for the man by air.

Shortly before 5 p.m., the CCSO Drone Operations Unit was deployed, and the search area was immediately divided into a grid, with six UAS flying the area in search of the missing man. Approximately 30 minutes after the unit was deployed, the missing man was spotted through a canopy of trees walking between a house and garage of a residence.

The man was recovered safely, and returned home after receiving medical attention from paramedics.

This was the first time that a UAS led to a CCSO rescue, which “underscores the value of drone technology in law enforcement,” CCSO says.

The first law enforcement agency in Florida to be certified to use drones for law enforcement purposes, CCSO began using the technology back in 2015. The UAS are mainly used for tactical support, searches for missing people and event documentation.

Following Hurricane Irma in 2017, CCSO deployed its UAS, marking the first major disaster in which drones were deployed locally.