In the secret drone unit of Oakland County, life and fight against crime saves

Pontiac, me. -What used to be an abandoned car dealer in Oakland County, now houses one of the most advanced law enforcement instruments Michigans-a high-tech drone command center, which changes the reaction of deputies to emergencies and fighting crimes.

“We are in an old car dealership and our people worked to build the walls and this room ourselves because we didn't have a special budget for it,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “You did a great job, I think.”

Last year, the Sheriff's threat team started more than 380 missions. While some contain the persecution of criminal suspicious, most missions have nothing to do with crimes.

“We go to more suicide compartments in the forest when I can count at this point,” said Bouchard. “Every third will look for someone in the crisis.”

The program is called DFR – or drones as a first aider – and his goal is simple: sharpness in heaven faster than the deputies can get on the ground. This time savings can mean the difference between life and death or a suspect that comes away from the law enforcement authorities.

“The idea is that the main factor number one for successful use in the air is time,” said the commander of the drone unit, who is anonymous for security reasons. “We are around the clock. So I always switched on my phone, and if I am not available, I will transfer this obligation to someone else at short notice.”

Of 87 licensed drone pilots in the Sheriff office, only 10 are certified for tactical missions. And some of the best pilots are not experienced MPs – but younger recruits with more youthful experience with video game controllers.

“The best pilots usually started with an Xbox or a PS5,” said the commander of the unit. “And it really shows that they learn many experienced police officers from someone who has been in use for two years.”

While teamwork and cross -generational training are the key, everything comes back to two most important things: security and speed.

“The number one is time, time, time,” said the air boss.

A game change in the field

During a high risk in Pontiac on November 2, 2023, a man who was accused of assault, torture and home vasion had hidden in the rafters of an apartment complex. The MPs used a compact interior roaring das for the first time that it was used in a real situation to safely locate and monitor the suspect.

“So what had happened, he was visually the door, opened himself, raised his shirt and then turned in 360 to show that he had no weapons on his covenant,” the commander recalled when he referred the live video film material from the drone.

Since then, interior roars have been used in eight further high -risk scenarios.

But outdoor missions still make up most of the work – and the most emotional. In one case, a self -mother moved deep into the forest with a rope and thought he was alone.

“He has a rope in his hand and actively tries to find out how to tie it around a tree so that I can end my life,” said the commander.

The drone hovered over him, his camera fed live video again when the MPs entered on foot.

“He will somehow give us a shrug,” said the commander. “You can see that the MPs are very, come, man, what's going on? It is not drawn. It is not confrontational. You don't have to do it.”

More than crime

The drone unit also helped to pursue murder -suspect at night, to support firefighters during the structural fires and to deliver video in auto hunt in real time.

“When we started the program, many people called us crackpots,” said the commander. “They thought that would never be possible.”

Two years later, drones can now stand over the head in less than three minutes. They are automatically started from a central computer and guided by licensed operators who monitor 911 calls.

“DFR means to place drones in permanent locations in a city that can quickly come onto the market to call a second,” said the commander. “It is a game to run against the clock. We have to be there quickly or we won't be able to help.”

What's next?

At the moment, Oakland County's drone program is only active in Pontiac. However, the goal is to expand to all major strip areas. The greatest obstacle is financing. Sheriff Bouchard said that a large part of her drone and robot equipment has to be age -old and that it has to be replaced relatively soon.

And although the technology is powerful, it is also closely regulated. Drones are only used in response to 911 calls. They are not used for surveillance, and the operators are prohibited to start a drone without a legitimate emergency call.