AIKEN, S.C. () – Law enforcement agencies across the country are increasingly using drones to fight crime—-and that includes our area.

Local law enforcement has turned to drones in recent years to be an extra eye in the sky to fight crime.

We caught up with agencies on both sides of the river to see how they’re putting these high-tech tools to use.

The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office has had their drone program in place since 2023, with 14 drones and 16 certified pilots.

Major Jason Griffin says they’ve been a big resource that saves valuable time in investigations.

“Before the drones, we would call our resources in from the state law enforcement division with their helicopter—which we still do. But, it takes the helicopter an hour and a half to get to Aiken flying from Columbia when we can throw a drone up in a matter of minutes,” said Griffin.

The Sheriff’s Office has three different types of drones, with the bigger ones suited for large-scale crime scenes, but the smaller ones also serve a critical role.

“If we have a barricaded person inside a residence or business, instead of sending in a SWAT team or a dog in (which we still may have to do sometimes), we can fly this drone through these houses, through open doors, do a complete 360 of the room to see if we can find where the person may be hiding inside,” Griffin said.

As for Richmond County, they currently have 8 drones with 8 certified pilots, but they’re working with community partners to boost that program soon. 

“For instance, a burglary call. If we have the capability to put a drone over the call before the officer gets there. We’re going towards that, we’re researching pretty heavily on how to do that,” said Sergeant Chris Chavous.

Both agencies have been able to use the drones for various crime scenes, including shootings, missing people, car accidents, and even for Hurricane Helene.

“If a deputy makes a traffic stop and somebody runs from the car, or we have a missing child or individual, those deputies can throw that drone up in a matter of minutes,” said Griffin.

Richmond County recently put their drones to use when a dead body was found near the Lock and Dam.

But they, like the public, have rules to follow. 

“Augusta actually has an ordinance against drones. It’s not the whole county, it’s not the whole city, but it does protect the airports. The bigger thing is, know what you’re doing, know your laws, and allow yourself to make an error—but do it in a safe way,” Chavous said.

Griffin also sharing important information about laws, based on guidelines from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).

“Drones are considered an aircraft through the FAA, so shooting down a drone if you see it flying over your house—you can’t do that, that’s against the law. You’ve probably heard stories of people smuggling drugs in using drones. That doesn’t happen here, but that does happen. Anything like that would obviously be against the law,” he said.

There have been concerns of privacy on the national level about police using drones.

Local agencies say that hasn’t been a major problem in our area, and they want to do all they can to ensure public safety and trust.