Sheriff Michael Donato expands K-9, drone, search-and-rescue and county tactical training in first year

Sheriff Michael Donato said his first year also prioritized expanding operational capabilities — including an active K-9 unit, a growing licensed drone program, participation in a county search-and-rescue team and formation of a countywide entry team for high-risk responses.

On the Spotlight on Cumberland County program, Donato described the K-9 and drone programs as resources available to municipal police and fire departments: "The k 9 program is is is a great thing. We, you know, we've been through several different dogs for various reasons. But that's up and running. That's strong. The drone program, we've we've got several drones that we now use." He added that operators are licensed and that the office offers the capability to other first responders.

Donato said the county established a coordinated search-and-rescue team hosted at a fire department in Upper Deerfield and that the sheriff's office assigned officers to provide law-enforcement capability for missing-persons searches. He also said the county is starting a countywide entry team and that sheriff's officers are training alongside officers from township and city police departments and the prosecutor's office.

To strengthen community policing, Donato reorganized the office's community policing unit so a single manager schedules and coordinates events while drawing officers from across units for details. He said that approach spreads community work across the force instead of assigning it to the same small group of officers.

Donato said the sheriff's office has resumed visible neighborhood patrols including a Halloween detail — an initiative he said drew substantial positive public response: "People loved it... we've been inundated over the next week with phone calls and messages... saying they've never had a sheriff's car in their neighborhood." He framed visible patrols as a straightforward deterrent and part of the sheriff's visibility goal.

Donato described cooperative support for municipal police departments, saying the sheriff's office provides supplemental enforcement when municipalities are short-staffed and that supervisors coordinate details and short-term shifts to help local departments.

He also described ongoing assistance to the county jail and said he maintains a working relationship with county administration and the jail warden to provide officer support for transports and hospital details when possible. The interview contained no formal policy votes or regulatory citations.