Above The Situation.

Written By Jamaurie B Gause. May 12,2022

It was a beautiful morning on April 29th 2022 in Columbia, South Carolina at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. I had the privilege of going through a basic drone course put on by The South Carolina Public Safety Drone Pilot Association taught by Sean Smith, the President of the Association. The class had 9 Public Safety Professionals from across the state, who were all there to learn how to operate a drone properly and to meet requirements to attain their Drone Pilot Certification.

The South Carolina Public Safety Drone Association is at the cutting edge of the drone training community; it is the only drone training program that is recognized by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy for police officers.  Every Officer that completes a course receives a certificate  that can be added to their academy transcript. The South Carolina Public Safety Drone Pilot Association currently offers 4 courses. Basic course, which is the course I attended– is the foundation to build upon. T.E.D.S. (Tactical Entry Drone Support Course) is training geared toward drone pilots that are attached to their department's SWAT unit. Confined Space Drone Pilot Course teaches pilots how to operate drones indoors effectively. Hazardous Site Survey UAV Operators Course is geared toward our firefighters wheelhouse.

To anyone that knows me well, knows that technology and I do not get along, that is probably why I enjoy the simplicity of running a bolt gun so much. The connection between a marksman and their bolt action rifle is hard to compare but I digress. Where was I? Yes Drones. It was a daunting task for a non-tech guy such as myself to try to select the best drone to purchase.

 If you have researched drones in your spare time, you definitely know that their cost and size vary greatly and the old adage; you get what you pay for carries some  weight in making your purchase decision. I highly recommend you reach out to a subject matter expert for some guidance, that is just what I did. I wanted to buy once and cry once just like purchasing a scope for a rifle. With all of this in mind, I reached out to my friend Sean Smith a few weeks prior to the drone class to get recommendations on a good drone to look at buying. Sean asked my budget and the main tasks the drone would primarily be used for. I told Sean my budget was under $500.00 and that I mainly wanted a drone that would be good to take aerial footage and still photos at training events. Sean replied quickly with a few different options that checked the boxes. I finally decided on the DJI Mavic Mini, which is a great entry level drone weighing 249 grams making it exempt from certain regulations.

 The Mavic Mini routinely retails for less than $400.00. The Mavic Mini shoots in 1080p. It also has the lift capacity for payloads of 0.53 pounds or 0.24 kilograms making it the ideal drone to deliver medical supplies, such as an EpiPen for a victim that is unreachable by normal means or to deliver a Smartphone to and barricaded subject (The average smartphone weighs 0.43 pounds). The Mavic Mini offers a lot in a little affordable package. It is a drone suitable for outdoor flights and capable of indoor flights for clear buildings (CQB). The Mavic Mini has a lot of aftermarket accessories that can be helpful to first responders, such as LED lights, airdrop delivery system, and speakers. For those reasons, I chose the DJI Mavic Mini to go through the Basic Drone Course put on by The South Carolina Public Safety Drone Pilot Association and the drone that Precision A.C.T.S. will be using in the field to document training from the air going forward. 

At the beginning of the class, Sean gave the history of Drones or UAVs, which means Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. We learned that the first drone dates back to 1783 which was a hot air balloon in France. Sean also taught that the British used drones for reconnaissance photos from the battlefield in 1915. We learned some important rules to abide by to be in compliance with FAA Federal Aviation Administration. We also learned how to conduct a proper preflight inspection and how to maintain a drone to protect your investment. 

We then moved to the outdoor flying portion of the class. We had a beautiful 80 degree clear day to fly and get tested on our proficiencies. Some students had their own personal drones and some students had  department issued drones. We flew a couple of drills around the Academy Campus. We then flew our drones inside for our indoor building clearing proficiencies. At the conclusion of the course, all students were welcomed to the exciting Public Safety Drone Community and given the opportunity to join The South Carolina Public Safety Drone Pilot Association. 

The South Carolina  Public Safety Drone Association’s main goal is officer safety and providing the most up to date situational knowledge to all  involved in a critical incident. On that quest, the association has been able to train up 197 public servants from across the state since its inception in 2022! Will you be next? If so, sign up for a course and get to flying, and learning the craft of a Public Safety Drone Pilot. I promise you will gain a lot of useful knowledge. Please watch the interview Precision A.C.T.S. did with Sean.