At the last DeWitt County Board Meeting, the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office was approved to purchase two drones.

Sheriff Mike Walker indicates recently his department as well as the Fire Department has had to receive assistance from other agencies to use a drone. He explains having their drone they could have deployed it earlier in the case or used it more often.

After researching drones, the Sheriff was advised to follow suit with what other agencies have done with purchasing two drones of different sizes. The drones are equipped with heat imaging and GPS technology, with the purchase totaling around $16,000.

The Sheriff's Department will train a couple of deputies to be drone pilots. In addition to being used by the Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Walker says the drones we be available for use by other local first responders. He notes there are a variety of ways the drones can be deployed to serve the community and solve cases faster.

Sheriff Walker anticipates having the drones by the end of January and will begin training pilots once they are received.