County commission approves drone contract for Blount County Sheriff’s Office

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is getting new drones following a resolution passing the county commission.

During the May 16 meeting, commissioners voted to approve a five-year contract with Brinc Drones. The contract allows BCSO to buy three LEMUR 2 interior drone kits from the company and receive their Safeguard Program for a total of $94,995 or $18,999 per year.

The first drone kit will be provided at the contract’s start and the next two will be provided on month 25 and month 49. The Safeguard Program includes unlimited repair and replacement, a dedicated support manager, Live-Ops live streaming web application, continuous hardware and software upgrades, free loaner equipment, unlimited data storage, and end-to-end training.

According to a memo from Matthew Gilmore, BCSO SWAT, Tech Team Leader to the Blount County Budget Committee, this contract will save the county money as kits start at $24,999 if purchased separately and it would not include free repair/replacement and loaner units.

BCSO currently has four LOKI drones, manufactured by Sky-Hero, which are only used for interior flying. They are used during operations involving any type of physical structure. The drones are used to safely “clear” a structure before any deputies enter the building.

“The most important way that interior drones make policing safer is that drones can go where it is unsafe or impractical for operators to go. This is also safer for suspects because most initial contact with the suspect is made with the drone and not law enforcement personnel. This allows for attempted de-escalation of the situation prior to any human interaction,” BCSO shared with WATE.

The sheriff’s office added that the LEMUR 2 drone will allow the BCSO SWAT team to communicate with suspects and victims allowing SWAR personnel or crisis negotiators to make contact from a remote and safe area.

Drones have been used by several law enforcement agencies in East Tennessee. During the fire that destroyed the Parks-Belk building in Morristown, the police department shared that their drone was able to help firefighters keep the fire from spreading . Drones are also used in searches for missing people, like Summer Wells . The Roane County Sheriff’s Office used a drone to catch a man running from the courthouse in May 2023 .

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with additional information.

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