PONTIAC, Mich. (WILX) – The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is crediting its “Drones as First Responders” (DFR) program for a man’s arrest near a domestic violence shelter this week.
The sheriff’s office says a “concerning” 911 call came in around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 5. The caller reported a man wearing camouflage clothes and carrying both a long rifle and a handgun had entered the woods near a domestic violence shelter in Pontiac, according to the sheriff’s office.
The DFR program “immediately launched a drone to the area” and drone operators quickly located the man and confirmed he was armed, the sheriff’s office said.
“Using real-time aerial intelligence, the drone team was able to guide responding deputies directly to the suspect’s location and provide critical situational awareness, allowing deputies to approach in a tactically safe manner,” a press release from the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect, a 21-year-old Joseph Edward Smith of Pontiac, was arrested without incident. He was arraigned Friday in Pontiac’s 50th District Court on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm.
The sheriff’s office released the aerial footage, which shows Smith noticing the drone above him. He is seen taking a photo or video of the drone on his phone before unloading the weapons and throwing them in the grass before raising his hands as police approached him.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard called it “one more poignant example of how our DFR program dramatically increases the safety and response to emergency incidents.”
“The ability to rapidly locate an armed individual, provide real-time intelligence to responding deputies, and help bring the situation to a peaceful conclusion protects both the public and our first responders,” Bouchard said, per a press release.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has operated its Drones as First Responders program for more than four years. The program is “designed to respond to active emergency calls and provide real-time information that enhances public safety, improves response times, and helps reduce the likelihood of dangerous confrontations,” according to the sheriff’s office.
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