The Hamilton County Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Team is comprised of Hamilton

County Office of Emergency Management and Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. The

Hamilton County Drone/UAS Team has proven to be an invaluable asset with assisting

search and rescue efforts and law enforcement throughout our community and our region.

The drone team have been sent to fire locations as scouts, using gas sensors and cameras with

thermal imaging technology to help in their rescue efforts. For search and rescue efforts, the drones have been used frequently for eyes in the sky and help locate lost individuals faster than on land", says Chris Adams, HCOEM Director.  "Since its conception in 2016, the flight call volume for the UAS Team has increased year to year. In 2022 to date, the UAS Team has flown over 668 flights, traveled approximately 475 miles, and spent over 106 hours in the air conducting various operational missions. These missions have included 56 search and rescue missions, 14 crime scene investigations, 13 mapping flights, 25 tactical support flights, 23 felony apprehensions, and supported other agencies 86 times. Despite public misconceptions, the majority of our teams’ missions are looking for dangerous suspects, missing or lost individuals and mapping incident scenes", Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett.