Drones set to soar for Lexington County

Lexington County is launching two eyes in the sky.

County officials are preparing to use a pair of drones to assist in fighting fires, dealing with disasters and mapping sites.

Using them in those roles is “technology we’re going to benefit from in the long run,” Councilman Scotty Whetstone of Swansea said.

The remotely-controlled aircraft will be used mainly for checking out sites for building various projects, but will also be available to hover over fires and chemical spills to measure danger, officials said.

“It gives us capabilities and advantages we don’t have,” county public safety director David Kerr said. “It allows a new level of sophistication.”

Usage will be limited initially until county officials get comfortable with the devices and make sure no unexpected problems develop. “We’re going to be judicious,” Kerr said.

All flights will be no higher than 400 feet, with a half dozen county employes to be trained in operating the aircraft.

County officials are joining a trend that includes drone use by more than 300 local businesses and in neighboring Richland County.

Richland County deputies sometimes use drones while searching for suspects, Sheriff Leon Lott said. The aircraft also was used to inspect roads and dams during floods in October 2015, officials said.

Regular use for law enforcement isn’t planned in Lexington County due to legal restrictions limiting use of what’s filmed.

But guidelines set by County Council allow any sign of criminal activity detected during flights to be turned over to deputies to investigate.

For now, that’s adequate, said Capt. Adam Myrick, spokesman for Sheriff Jay Koon.

“There will some occasions when it will yield helpful information to us during critical incidents,” Myrick said. “We're comfortable allowing some time for the program to get up and running before we formally explore anything in detail.”

This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Drones set to soar for Lexington County."