by Jackie Nunnery
LANCASTER—When it comes to search and rescue missions, time matters. For the sheriff’s offices in Lancaster and Northumberland counties, technology, in the form of drones, has made the process quicker and more effective.
With cameras, thermal imaging and the ability to set up a search grid, “it makes it a lot easier to find people rather than waiting on tracking dogs that take hours to get here. We can put this drone up in minutes, you know, and start searching the grid,” said Maj. Ashby Allen, a member of the Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office drone team. Northumberland purchased its first drone in 2019 and began training in 2020.
Lancaster followed in 2024 according to Daniel Akers, communications officer and a member of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office drone team.
In addition to training together, the drone teams have the same equipment, which helps with mutual….
