On the Job 

As many law enforcement agencies across the state are buying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) —commonly referred to as drones — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine wants to make sure they are being used with care.

In October, DeWine announced the formation of an advisory group to create a model law enforcement policy to guide departments in the use of the aircraft systems.

“All of us must be mindful that the use of drones for law enforcement purposes — however legitimate and justified — is still relatively uncharted territory,” he said. “Citizens may have some understandable reservations about law enforcement’s use of new technology like this, and this group will examine those issues.”

Drones can be useful to law enforcement in search-and-rescue operations, SWAT operations, and for getting a bird’s-eye view of accident scenes, for example. Firefighters have used drones for safely searching inside large, unstable structures after fires or getting better views of wildfires.

At a recent meeting, Cuyahoga Community College Police Chief Clayton Harris, chairman of the advisory group, created working groups to focus on training, policy and legal issues, technology, and community and media engagement.

“We want to accomplish the goal of putting out a policy that can be used by any police agency,” he said.