The Cecil County Sheriff’s Office SUAS (Small Unmanned Aircraft System) flies in support of the following operations: situational awareness, search and rescue, tactical deployments, aerial visual perspectives for crowd control and traffic incident management, temporary perimeter security, crime    scene documentation, collision scene documentation, and disaster response.

The Sheriff’s Office has 5 personnel with remote pilot licenses under the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule (Part 107). Three additional deputies are in training to obtain their licenses.

Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office has 2 certificates of waiver granted by the FAA. The first waiver allows the Sheriff’s     Office to enter into Aberdeen Proving Ground’s class E airspace which boarders a limited amount of the west end of the county (2017-ESA-737-P107) – at or below 400 feet AGL and under the jurisdiction of the KAPG control tower. The second waiver allows for nighttime operations under 14 CFR, part 107.29.

The Sheriff’s Office currently operates five drones. One drone is to specifically support indoor operation, with 4 others designed for outdoor flights. The Sheriff’s Office SUAS also has low-light cameras, along with FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), and thermal capabilities. This equipment allows the Sheriff’s   Office to search for persons or objects giving off heat signatures during low light or nighttime conditions. In 2019, the Sheriff’s Office acquired the Matrice, a SUAS with a more sophisticated FLIR and longer range and flight time. The Matrice will allow the Sheriff’s Office pilots to search for longer periods without having to land. The sheriff’s office deployed the SUAS in 11 separate incidents in 2023.

 For additional information on the Sheriff's Office SUAS Program, please view the 2023 Annual Report.