Sheriff Says FAA Should Loosen Restrictions On Such Efforts

A UAV operator assisted the Salt Lake County (UT) Sheriff Saturday with a search and rescue operation as searchers were about to call off their efforts.

Television Station KUTV reports that Kris Krie was flying his aircraft at the canyon when he approached the search team and offered him assistance. Crew were searching for 17-year-old James Wade, who went missing while hiking with his family at the canyon.

The search had been going on since Saturday morning, and they were about to suspend the search because of darkness when Krie made his offer. He was able to fly the aircraft into the canyon where a helicopter could not go, and within a few minutes located Wade's body.

Sheriff Jim Winder said the incident illustrates the usefulness of the small aircraft in such situations. But the FAA's rules limit law enforcement agencies use of drones. They can, however, consult with operators who offer their services as Krie did.

Winder said he hopes the FAA will ease their stance on the use of UAVs by law enforcement. “These are obvious utilizations that are emergent that should be exempt from these federal regulations,” he told the station.

Winder said he does not want to use the aircraft for surveillance or routine patrols, but he would like to be able to deploy them in emergency situations such as occurred Saturday. He has asked the public to share their thoughts with the agency.

For now, he hopes to be able to rely on the help of good Samaritans with their unmanned aircraft. "Right now, I guess if you’re driving by a search and rescue and you have a drone, we’ll use you," he said.

(Image from file)

FMI: http://slsheriff.org