News & Press Releases

keyboard_arrow_leftView All

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) Team Deployments (Third Quarter 2020)

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) Team Deployments (Third Quarter 2020)

Third Quarter 2020 statistics for sUAS Team deployments by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office

07/21/2020 – Mission Type: Assisted Novato Fire Department (NFD) with aerial footage of open space post seasonal fire mitigation by NFD.

Case: 20-1822

Offense: N/A

The Novato Fire Department requested assistance from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office sUAS Team with documenting open space in the area of Bahia Drive and Topaz Drive in Novato on March 17, 2020. The purpose of these flights was to document the volume of the trees and shrubs in the area prior to fire mitigation efforts by NFD. On July 21, 2020, we flew the area again to document the fire mitigation efforts that had taken place.

08/19/2020 – Mission Type: Assisted Marin County Fire and the National Park Service with the Woodward Fire.

Case: 20-2091

Offense: N/A

On August 18th, 2020, the Woodward Fire started in the Point Reyes National Seashore. Unfortunately, due to the large amount of fires in the state, no aerial assets were initially available for the fire. The Marin County Fire Department and the National Park Service requested the assistance of the sUAS team to assist with fire mapping, hot spot detection and overall monitoring of the Woodward Fire. The video was then reviewed by personnel on the fire to determine the fire’s location, size, access and potential hazards for first responders on the fire.

08/22/2020 – Mission Type: Assisted the Novato Police Department with search for possibly armed carjacking suspect.

Case: 20-2116 (NPD Case #NP20-2495)

Offenses:

207(a) PC – Kidnapping

10851 PC – Stolen Vehicle

211 PC – Robbery

245(a)(2) PC – Assault with a firearm on a person

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office sUAS team was requested by the Novato Police Department to assist searching for a carjacking and kidnapping suspect. The suspect was last seen fleeing the location of his vehicle into a wooded hillside at night. We searched for the subject utilizing FLIR technology on the UAV, but the subject was not located at that time. The subject was located and arrested the following day by the Novato Police Department.

09/05/2020 –Mission Type: Assisted MCSO locate deceased subject in body of water

Case: 20-2230

Offense: N/A

Deputies from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office responded to an unidentifiable object in the water that resembled a body. Deputies requested the assistance of the sUAS team to conduct an aerial check of the object to determine if it was a body as the access was difficult. The sUAS team was able to determine that the object was a body, which was recovered.

09/16/2020– Mission Type: Assisted the San Rafael Police Department with evidence search following shooting.

Case: 20-2357

Offense: N/A

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office sUAS Team was requested to assist the San Rafael Police Department following a shooting. San Rafael Police requested the sUAS team utilize a UAV to search an area for evidence related to the shooting. No items of evidence were located.

09/24/2020 – Mission Type: Aerial search for potential hazardous waste and illegal dumping.

Case: SO20-2446

Offense: N/A

The sUAS team was utilized to search for potential hazardous waste and illegal dumping near a public roadway. Nothing hazardous was identified by the UAV during the flight. 

keyboard_arrow_up