TX Sheriffs Office Receives Unmanned Aerial System and It Helps Saves Lives in Under 30 Days

Erath County Sheriff’s Office in Stephensville, TX On January 20th received an unmanned aerial system thanks to FoxFury Lighting Solutions and the National Public Safety Drone Donation Program (NPS-DDP). The department can now respond faster and safer to calls. This donated sUAS is equipped with FoxFury D3060 lights permitting it to fly at night and this donation included Loc8 scanning software to assist search and rescue efforts The Erath County Sheriff’s Office learned of NPS-DDP through the Life In The Arena Foundation who encouraged the department to fill out an application online and submit a video request outlining the reasons why the department would benefit from an aerial solution. Upon learning that this department patrols an area over 1000 square miles with just over 42,000 people (including Tarleton State University), FoxFury stepped up and donated a drone through the NPS-DDP.

“Given the large need in the area and the department’s excitement, we wanted to get involved as we absolutely know that an unmanned aerial system would help protect the community and no doubt save lives. We’re thrilled to play a part in getting this drone program literally and figuratively off the ground,” said Antonio Cugini, Business Development for FoxFury.

The Erath County Sheriff’s Office received an Autel Evo vehicle with a saddle and lighting system so that it could be utilized around the clock as needed for a variety of calls including search and rescue, traffic collisions and more. Upon learning that FoxFury would be making this donation, the NPS-DDP reached out to other partners. Loc8 stepped up and agreed to donate their powerful image scanning software, which helps search for people and objects quickly and effectively.

“Loc8 is proud to partner with NPS-DDP to support public safety officers in saving lives and bringing closure. We feel our technology will be a great asset to Erath County Sheriff's Office in search and rescue operations, crime scene analysis and debris field mapping,” Anthony Lockly, CEO of Loc8.

Loc8 : Offers a suite of software applications initially developed as a "resource-multiplier" to quickly and effectively scan thousands of digital images (still and video, RGB and thermal) collected by drones and manned aircraft during search and rescue (SAR) missions to look for missing persons or objects. Loc8’s patent-pending image scanning technology analyzes the individual pixels in any JPEG formatted digital image by searching for color(s) that match a user-defined color palette. Once the defined pixel color(s) are detected in the scanned images, Loc8 reports the latitude, longitude, altitude, and the estimated size, of the detected item(s).

Upon receiving this donation, the Erath County Sheriff’s Office used the Evo system three times in the first 30 days. These calls included a barricaded suicidal subject, a search and rescue call that became a forensic scene and on a hostage/barricaded person call. It has been used to document scenes, de-escalate situations and provide officers with critical information of dangers when it is sent out prior to officers.

“This UAS has saved officer’s lives on two occasions and has exceeded our expectations. It has seemingly unlimited uses and has helped us better protect our community,” said Sgt. David Southerland of the Erath County Sheriff’s Office.

This donation was made by partners of the NPS-DDP including FoxFury Lighting Solutions, Loc8 and the Life In The Arena Foundation. This was the 24th UAS donated by NPS-DDP whose focus is on smaller public safety agencies who are looking to start drone programs but may not have the budget to get a drone program started.

Our mission is to help put eyes in the sky for every department in need. We are thankful to the Partner Supporters who make this program possible and to the public safety departments who tell us their story to help raise awareness and education for the benefits of UAS technology,” said Marc Langley, Founder of NPS-DDP.

Public safety agencies interested in applying for the NPS-DDP Program can apply online via nps-ddp.org. In additional, any individuals, companies or organizations looking to donate to the program or wanting to outfit specific departments in need can contact NPS-DDP at [email protected]

The National Public Safety Drone Donation Program is pleased to see work with our valued partner supporters making donations to NPS-DDP.org The generosity of this type of donation cannot be underestimated as this hardware provides life saving value in the hands of those who work so hard to protect the communities they serve. We encourager private citizens and any company including public safety to contact us to recycle any unused UAV back into service so that we may donate it to a department in need.