Manitowoc County Sheriff Dan Hartwig
The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department is trying to keep up with changing technology, and one program they started has shown success.
Sheriff Dan Hartwig says their drone program was implemented in 2022 and has included 10 pilots, all deputy sheriffs, and some others in the department.
In July 2022 alone, there were 32 missions where the drones were used.
Hartwig says use their drones to help investigate, “Motor vehicle crashes…missing persons, missing children, suspect apprehension, and another thing called CPTED, which is Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.”
The drones also came in handy is the Manitowoc County Fair, so sheriff’s deputies could get a good idea of where security points were set up.
Hartwig says one of the nice things about having ten pilots is that sheriffs don’t have to be called out to everything because the drone team can take care of some of the calls.
The department has three drones, including one with a thermal camera to see at night and two others that can be used in the day.
A second thermal camera drone will be purchased by the department in the future to make it four drones in total.
Hartwig says in 2023, 52 missions were done by the drone team.
