How Is a Drone Like a Dog? Ask a Cop

Four years ago, Alameda County, California's purchase of two drones for use by law enforcement was controversial. Now, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department has six drones, and their use is routine. So said Tom Madigan, a commander at the Alameda Sheriff's Office, to drone industry representatives and other law enforcement officials gathered at Drone World Expo in San Jose, Calif., last week. The Alameda County drone program has been fully operational for only about two years, Madigan said. In that time, he indicated, the Alameda Sheriff's Office has flown drones 700 times as part of 175 real-world missions, including search and rescue, fire scene surveillance, homicide scene analysis, and providing eyes in the sky during high-risk tactical operations.