Monmouth and Ocean sheriff officers participate in drone certification program

When chaos erupted on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk Memorial Day weekend , police were able to monitor what was taking place, thanks to drones launched into the sky.

This week, members of the Ocean and Monmouth County sheriff’s departments continued to enhance their skills by taking part in a national drone certification program at Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood.

"I can have an overwatch on a crowd in an area almost instantly, so Seaside Heights, for instance, we can launch from the beachfront and up and down the beach. I can have that, and I have the capability to live stream that on the ground to command centers anywhere,” says Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Kevin Fennessy.

Officers tested their skills in search and rescue operations, crowd control monitoring and other uses.

"They fly scenarios that are more relevant to their department so that when they are finished with their training there's not a lot of in-house training that needs to be done. They can go ahead and start flying immediately,” says Matt Sanford, of MITRE Engenuity.

The Monmouth and Ocean County Sheriff departments are the first in the Northeast Corridor to enroll in this national drone certification program. The course takes 44 hours of training to complete.