Camden County administrators are in the midst of establishing policies and procedures for how to use the drone as a strategic tool at its county jail for emergency situations.
CAMDEN -- John Donnadio wasn't shocked when he heard Camden County's freeholders bought a drone.
While it's the first time the Executive Director of the New Jersey Association of Counties caught word of any county in the state purchasing an unmanned aircraft with imaging technology -- Camden County's will be used at its correctional facility for crisis situations -- he said it's common for Camden County to step into uncharted territory, and the use of drones by public entities certainly fits that bill.
"They're always very proactive with doing cutting edge things like that .... it doesn't surprise me they've kind of taken the lead on something that may prove helpful," said Donnadio.
The number of drones hitting the sky for both hobby and commercial use has swelled in recent years -- spurring the Federal Aviation Administration's recent push to register all unmanned aerial devices -- but implementing them for use in law enforcement in the state has been far less common.
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In addition to being an unfamiliar technology that can come with a hefty price tag, there are no statewide regulations in place that offer public entities, including law enforcement, a guide on how to best use them.
Legislative attempts to implement drone regulations in the state haven't been speedy. In May, the state Assembly approved a bill with bipartisan support that would require law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before using a drone in an investigation.
The bill, similar to one Gov. Chris Christie pocket vetoed last year, also bans drones from being equipped with weapons, outlines record-keeping policies, and mandates all drone flights be reported to the state's Attorney General's office.
It makes exceptions from the warrant requirement for emergency situations such as forest fires and search and rescues. The bill has yet to be taken up by the state Senate, and Christie has not spoken publicly about whether or not he would support the legislation.
A spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office, Peter Aseltine, said the agency does not have a policy specifically addressing how law enforcement agencies use drones, but that the agencies are required to follow established law and attorney general guidelines regarding individual privacy rights.
In the absence of a law outlining drone-use policy, individual entities that do choose to take on the new technology are creating their own how-tos in order to increase efficiency and decrease liabilities.
Camden County's administration is still in the midst of establishing it's own set of regulations for use of their drone -- a DJI Inspire Aerial Camera System that cost about $3,450 -- and county spokesman Dan Keashen said it would not be used until they're put in place.
Its use will be limited to the jail facility as a "strategic tool" during emergency situations. Because of the limited nature of the use in one location at a low height, Keashen said use of the drone did not require Federal Aviation Administration approvals.
"We are currently in the process of doing the research and analysis on best practices to develop our policies and procedures for usage of a drone," he said.
Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
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