Lake County Sheriff Seeks $12M for Drone Network

The Lake County Sheriff's Office is applying for a federal grant totaling more than $12 million to establish a countywide drone network. The initiative, part of the U.S. Department of Justice's BIDEN Program, aims to provide deputies with faster aerial views of emergency scenes.

If approved, the funding would equip seven fixed locations across Lake County with 14 drones. The office expects to deploy a drone to qualifying emergency calls within approximately eight minutes, offering live aerial perspectives before deputies arrive. The plan also includes 15 mobile drone units that can mount on patrol cars.

The BIDEN Program, which stands for Bridging Immigration-Related Deficits Experienced Nationwide, is a proposed $3 billion grant program supporting state, local, and tribal governments. Funds can support law enforcement hiring and training, technology and equipment, and temporary detention facilities, targeting immigration-related criminal enforcement, gang and trafficking investigations, and other violent crime operations. Applicants must participate in immigration-enforcement partnerships.

Lake County's request targets technology and equipment, proposing the expanded drone network and an upgraded intelligence center to monitor drone feeds. An indoor tactical drone for scouting buildings before entry is also included. The sheriff's office aims for drones to provide aerial information for 40% of qualifying priority calls and specified enforcement operations by the end of 2029.

County leaders are scheduled to discuss the grant request next Tuesday.