STATESVILLE, NC — The Iredell County Sheriff is close to getting new state of the art drone to find missing kids, locate active shooters, and identify dangerous drug zones.
"You would be able to look, is there weapons how many people are there? Are there possibly children there? All without the people ever knowing," said Sheriff Darren Campbell said.
Soon, his office will have a drone. The sheriff says the ones they're considering are lightweight and come equipped with night-vision and thermal imaging, which uses body heat to find people. They are also able to show live video to track dangerous suspects.
"If we had an active shooter, if somebody was in the woods, we would be able to use it," said Sheriff Cambell.
He pointed to a 2016 case where deputies spent two hours searching the woods for a Union Grove bank robbery suspect. He got into a shootout with deputies before being killed.
"The only way we kept the guy in the perimeter was with the surveillance from the helicopter," Sheriff Campbell said.
Some neighbors have concerns.
"They have too much invasion of privacy," said Iredell County Resident James Moore.
Others support the technology
"I think it's very beneficial for the simple fact they can cover a wider area in a short amount of time," said resident Jerry Prevatte.
The sheriff says saving that time could save lives
After researching and pushing for a drone for two years, the sheriff expects it within the next two weeks.
The sheriff is buying the drone with $34,000 seized from drug busts. As we head into Spring and Summer, Sheriff Campbell says it will be a critical tool to help recover missing boaters and solve crimes around Lake Norman.
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