The U.S. - Mexico Border Wall near Sierra Vista.
The sheriff’s department said the aerial systems from Draganfly Inc. will enhance the agency’s ability to “protect communities, manage humanitarian concerns, and respond rapidly to evolving threats.”
CEO Cameron Chell says the drone that's being piloted for Cochise County is a drone that can stay up in the air for multiple hours at a time to assist in interdictions and apprehensions, through supporting ground personnel.
“Quite often they get into situations, obviously, where they've got folks that are coming across the the border, over long treks, distress situations, likely not hydrated properly, and they are running into situations where they're looking to apprehend, but they really become more of a humanitarian or search-and-rescue type of situation,” he said.
Chell wouldn’t say what the pilot program cost, but said the sheriff’s office has a grant to run it. The sheriff’s office did not respond to a request for an interview about the program.
The new technology comes at a time where the number of people crossing the border is at a historic low. That said, there are still people who attempt the deadly desert crossing. Ten people were found dead attempting to cross the border in June alone.
Draganfly Inc., a Canadian-founded and -headquartered company that is now U.S.-owned, says its pilot collaboration with the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Unleashing American Drone Dominance.”
Chell says some of the initial prototyping has been done in Canada, but that they also have manufacturing in the United States.
Draganfly Inc. became embroiled in controversy in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, after offering drones to municipalities and law enforcement to monitor social distancing—sparking backlash, according to Slate.
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