Sheriff’s office to add Bluetooth-capable UAS after state grant approval
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Summary
Grand County accepted a $14,896 state grant to buy a thermal/infrared drone and a Bluetooth-detection module to assist search-and-rescue; sheriff’s lieutenant emphasized civil-rights protections and said range is terrain-dependent, up to about 600 meters in ideal conditions.
The Grand County Sheriff's Office on Feb. 3 won county approval to accept a Colorado Bureau of Investigation grant of $14,896 to purchase an additional thermal/infrared drone and a new consumer-market Bluetooth-detection device that mounts to the UAS.
Lieutenant Aaron Trainor described the equipment as helping search teams locate missing people by detecting Bluetooth signals from phones, smartwatches or hearing aids. Trainor said the system can detect signals up to roughly 600 meters under ideal, line-of-sight conditions but noted that mountains, trees and where the drone can safely operate will limit range.
Asked about privacy and deployment, Trainor told the board the sheriff's office will not deploy the technology at random and said, "Your civil rights still apply." Commissioners asked staff to ensure protocols are in place for deployment, data retention and reporting.
The board also approved a related DigiTicket contract amendment to add five licenses (paid by Winter Park Police Department) and authorized travel for three sheriff's personnel to attend Axon training in Nashville. Trainor said the county moved to an unlimited storage contract with Axon and that retention is still governed by Colorado State Archives guidelines, ranging from a 30-day retention for accidental activations to lifetime retention for homicide-level cases.
Next steps: the sheriff's office will finalize the IGA, coordinate equipment procurement and work with county counsel on policies governing when the Bluetooth-detection capability is used and how data is retained.
