Lakewood Ranch CERT explores the use of drones

T.J. Wennberg, a sergeant with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, sent a drone into the air March 15 in front of the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, and in an instant, it was gone.

Wennberg directed the drone to go up, and then he sent it over the building and out over Lake Uihlein, out of sight.

It was part of a demonstration by the Sheriff's Office during a Lakewood Ranch Community Emergency Response Team meeting at Town Hall. Also participating for the Sheriff's Office was Deputy Patrick Hagan.

Part of the demonstration was telling CERT members how the Sheriff's Office uses drones, and how law enforcement can do things with a drone that the general public isn't allowed to do. One of the differences is that public operators must keep the drone in line of sight while the Sheriff's Office is not limited in that respect.

"You need to use it in your line of sight," Hagan said of public drone users. "Even the ones you get at Walmart can go 5 miles away just like that."

Photo by Jay Heater

The demonstration came at a time when Lakewood Ranch CERT is incorporating drones into its response efforts to better help the community after a disaster situation, such as a hurricane.

"We are studying it," said Dick Plotkin, who is on the Lakewood Ranch CERT drone committee. "After an event, we can put up a drone and observe things in a very short time from the air. We can look at the back of the houses to pick up damage."

When CERT members are dispatched after an emergency event, they can walk the streets in front of homes, but they can't cross private property to look behind homes. If someone, for example, is injured behind a home and trapped, a drone could allow the CERT member to contact authorities.

With the program moving forward, Lakewood Ranch CERT wanted the Sheriff's Office to talk about uses for drones and what is appropriate.

Hagan explained that drone operators must be registered, unless the drone weighs less than .55 pounds. Many drones that parents buy for their kids fit into that category.

But all drones that weigh more than .55 pounds must be registered.

In this region, drone operators must be aware of the regulations, such as not flying into Sarasota Bradenton International Airport space. There is a 5-mile circumference surrounding the airport that has regulations for drones.

Photo by Jay Heater

Hagan explained the many uses of drones for his department, and how law enforcement has to be aware when drone operators from the public are misusing their personal drones.

He said once he was on scene where the Sheriff's Office was investigating a death, and a neighbor flew a drone over the scene being "nosy." In that kind of situation, law enforcement will report the violation to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has jurisdiction in that case.

"We report it to the FAA, and they can fine (violators) up to $30,000," Hagan said.

He also noted that airspace is treated differently than your own land.

"When you are two inches off the ground, it's not your property anymore," he said.

He said nuisance cases, such as a person flying a drone over the fairgrounds or a public gathering (both against FAA regulations), can be tough to stop because drones can fly so far away from the user. But more advancements are being made and more technology is available to track a user quickly.

Hagan emphasized that his department does not use drones to spy on people. He said that is often a misconception by the public. 

"Florida statues tell us what we can use drones for," he said.

One of the important uses is to accompany SWAT to a possible crime scene. SWAT asks the drone team to come along in many cases now to give it as much information as possible about the scene. In such cases, the drone team will have a search warrant that has written into it what the drones can do, such as searching a building.

He said the Sheriff's Office uses the drone team "once or twice every couple of weeks" now.

The Sheriff's Office drones, which run $10,000 to $20,000, have many more features, such as breaking glass or night vision, than the ones that Lakewood Ranch CERT will acquire.

Hagan said it is important his department conduct such public demonstrations to let people know what they do with drones and how they are used. The bottom line is that the drones can be a helpful tool that can cover a huge area quickly.

Lakewood Ranch CERT's Dave Esslinger will use his own personal drone, which cost approximately $1,500, when the group moves ahead with its drone plan. Esslinger was showing the members his drone before the meeting. Esslinger has a commercial drone license.

Plotkin said Lakewood Ranch CERT is looking into the purchase of its own drone. He said two-person teams would be used, an operator and an observer, who would look out for potential hazards while the operator is flying the drone.

Photo by Jay Heater

He also noted that Lakewood Ranch CERT is sensitive to people's privacy concerns and would only operate a drone in an emergency situation.

As an example, he talked about the flooding after Hurricane Debby, and how the water came into some neighborhoods so fast that there was no way for CERT volunteers to get into those neighborhoods to take a look. A drone would inspect such as area and allow for CERT to alert first responders.

Lakewood Ranch CERT, which was founded in 2006, has 236 members split into 20 teams.