KITSAP COUNTY — The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office unveiled its new drone program at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds on Thursday, April 19. The sheriff’s office is the first law enforcement agency in the county to use drones.

https://youtu.be/6T3-55rKfmo

Officers intend to use the quadcopters, which are outfitted with forward-mounted video cameras, in crime- and crash-scene reconstruction. By supplementing existing reconstruction systems, officers will be able to construct a picture-perfect view of a crime scene and associated points of interest during an investigation.

Sheriff’s Lt. Earl Smith and Sgt. Dan Twomey said that the drones are considered as just another instrument in Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office detectives’ tool belts. Twomey said the drones also have other tactical applications as well, mostly related to providing overwatch for deputies in potentially hostile environments.

Each of the three drone units acquired by the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office cost about $1,500.

—Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. Nick can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com