The Mesa County Sheriff's Office is getting national attention for it's birds-eye view of crime scenes using aerial technology.

The Sheriff's Office UAS - which, by the way, does not stand for Unidentified Alien Spacecraft - has been recognized by the Justice Technology Information Center (JTIC).

The JTIC is part of the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Program, and U.S. Department of Justice.

Photo provided by Falcon UAV taken by Kyle Allen of MCSO Dep Derek Johnson
Kyle Allen/Falcon UAV Photo of MCSO Dep Derek Johnson
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The Mesa County Sheriff's Office is considered a pioneer in the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems - the real meaning of UAS - and the JTIC was interested in how the department uses the aircraft to aid in mapping out crime scenes, and its use in emergency search and rescue operations.

Some may believe the Sheriff's Office could, or are, using their drones to spy on people, which they're not. Those who are paranoid about what law enforcement are doing with UAS should consider this. There are over 240 registered drones around the Grand Junction area. Enough said.

In an effort to help other law enforcement agencies around the country learn how to use UAS technology, JTIP took what they learned from the Sheriff's Office and created a video to show how and why the technology is useful to law enforcement.

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