Lt. Joey Heuglin (left) and Sheriff Carmine Marceno unveil the Lee County’s new dragon fish. Photo courtesy of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office
The Lee County’s Sheriff’s Office is the first law enforcement agency in the country to introduce a new type of drone technology.
Developed by Autel Robotics, the Dragonfish is an advanced fixed-wing drone that law enforcement officials said will “Revolutionize the way they respond to calls.”
The newest device in the LCSO fleet has been developed with a unique tilt rotor design that allows it to take off and land vertically. This feature allows the deputies to deploy the drone from anywhere within 10 seconds while broadcasting live video to the intelligence center.
“The ability to fly our helicopter for one call and launch the dragonfish for another enables us to provide a higher level of service to the citizens of Lee County.” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement. “Every time we can increase the number of calls we answer at the same time, we’re helping save lives.”
According to a press release, LCSO officials said they were attracted to the Dragonfish because of its two-hour flight time, which far exceeds the 20-minute flight time of most of their other currently deployed drones.
“The longer flight capability will allow operators to use the Dragonfish to locate missing people and track wanted people instead of a helicopter, minimizing demand for the agency’s aviation department and handling more calls at the same time.” the publication saturated.
The Dragonfish has a top speed of 67 miles per hour and can fly up to 18 miles from the operator. It has a 4K optical zoom lens and infrared camera that help respond to calls at night.
“As the sheriff, my goal is to bring the latest and greatest technology to this agency.” Marceno continued. “The Lee County Sheriff’s Office prides itself on being the first law enforcement agency to use the dragonfish in our day-to-day operations.”
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