Drones used as efficient tools to provide public safety in Chelan County; AI may be next

New technology, similar to this drone, is being employed by the Chelan County Sheriff's Office. Photo courtesy: Robb McCormick, Atlas of Surveillance.

Chelan County Sheriff’s Deputies are now wearing body cameras on their vest. Dash cameras inside each patrol car capture what officers are confronting each day. In addition, law enforcement officers throughout the county are benefitting from 7 license plate reading cameras placed strategically at intersections.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison updated the county commissioners on the use of new public safety technology, envisioning as many as 12 new cameras around the county watching real-time traffic movement.

"Its going to be a good tool to have with 77 agencies throughout the state, we're looking forward to seeing what (investigative information) we get in tracking vehicles down," said Sheriff Morrison. "We've seen other agencies already here in the valley using it to their benefit in criminal investigations."

Sheriff Mike Morrison says that the Redmond, WA Police have taken drones to a new level. Deploying a drone, instead of an officers, in response to a possible crime scene.

"We're looking to expand our drone program out as well," stated the Sheriff. "We're had a lot of success clearing out buildings, assisting with search and rescues."

Chelan County Sheriff's Patrol Chief Seth Buhler asked the commissioners, at a recent budget hearing, for funds to expand the number of drones available for use by deputies.

Then there's the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into law enforcement work, from the possibility of emergency dispatching to reports made on criminal incidents. Sheriff Morrison shared that a local resident told him that he had called Snohomish County 9-1-1 to report a traffic incident over Stevens Pass, a call answered by AI and followed up by an actual Sheriff's deputy who responded by phone.