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03 Jun 2010
Guilford County, NC Sheriff’s Office selected to represent Small, Rural, Tribal and Border Regional Center’s Aviation Technology Program at national aviation conference
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A representative from the Guilford County, NC Sheriff’s Office has been selected to deliver presentations at upcoming national conferences because of the agency’s successful use of low-cost, light-sport aircraft obtained through the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center’s (NLECTC) Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Regional Center (SRTB-RC) in local law enforcement activities.
Corporal Greg Russell will attend the Airborne Law Enforcement Association’s (ALEA) 40th annual conference and exposition July 14-17 in Tucson, AZ to present information on his agency’s light-sport aircraft aviation program.
Russell will also attend the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) technical working group (TWG) meeting in Annapolis, MD June 7-10 to deliver the same presentation to law enforcement aviation experts that are members of this advisory body.
“I am honored by the request to share our information with other members of the airborne law enforcement community,” Russell said. “I do think that our story can benefit other agencies who are interested in starting a lower cost and highly beneficial Air Support Unit for their agencies and more importantly their communities.”
Darian Williams, technology specialist for SRTB-RC, said he considers the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office the “flagship agency” in the organization’s Aviation Technology Program.
“The fact that Corporal Russell was invited to speak at ALEA's national conference validates our conclusion that it is indeed possible for smaller law enforcement agencies to operate a low-cost aviation unit using light-sport aircraft,” Williams said. “Agencies participating in our program are required to submit a report each time the aircraft is used and it's not uncommon to receive three or four reports a week from Guilford County.
“The citizens of Guilford and surrounding counties are fortunate to have such competent and dedicated officers to manage this asset,” he said.
SRTB-RC is one of three regional centers in the NLECTC system within the National Institute of Justice, a program of the U.S. Department of Justice. SRTB-RC is also one of the Public Safety programs hosted by The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY.
The SRTB-RC Aviation Technology Program was established to evaluate the efficacy, affordability and frequency of utilization of various aviation assets for smaller and predominately rural law enforcement agencies across the United States.
Williams said combining low cost aircraft with low cost communication and camera systems increases the capacity of state and local law enforcement to search for illegal drug operations, find missing persons, patrol the borders and patrol critical infrastructure. The program focuses on the use of light-sport aircraft, aerostats, and unmanned aircraft systems as observation platforms.
The goal is to identify low-cost aviation assets that can be combined with affordable communication and surveillance equipment. The program has worked with industry experts and law enforcement personnel to identify safe, reliable and effective equipment that can be operated by agencies of all sizes.
Currently, agencies in eight states have participated in the evaluation of these aviation assets. The agencies range from small departments consisting of less than 10 sworn officers to large departments with established aviation units. The aircraft have been effectively used for marijuana eradication, searching for missing persons, photographing of critical infrastructure, surveillance on suspicious individuals, border patrol, and security for individuals responding to natural disasters.
Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes thanked SRTB-RC and NIJ for the agency’s low-cost aircraft.
"Like every law enforcement agency in the nation, there are times when the ability to put a plane in the air becomes a force multiplier that saves time, money and in some case lives,” Barnes said. “Our plane has enabled us to make better drug cases, to identify and follow suspects who have committed or are about to commit crimes.
“We have utilized it on searches for missing and lost persons and we have used it to patrol areas that normal vehicles would have difficulty getting to,” Barnes continued. “We have partnered with our neighboring counties and they have also shared the benefits of our plane. It’s a tool that’s made a difference in Guilford County."
Funded through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute for Justice, National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, and The Center for Rural Development, SRTB-RC serves as an honest broker providing responsive solutions and practical benefits to small and rural law enforcement agencies and acting as a one-stop-shop for free technical assistance and access to other NIJ Centers for nearly 17,000 small, rural, tribal, and border agencies across the nation through innovative, collaborative cooperation.
For more information on SRTB-RC and its programs, contact Scott Barker at 606-436-8848, or visit www.srtbroc.org.
The Center for Rural Development—the Center of Excellence for rural Kentucky and the nation—provides economic and community development programs to residents in a 42-county primary service area of Southern and Eastern Kentucky, and is home to several statewide and national technology-based programs. For more information on programs available through The Center, visit www.centertech.com. |
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