Officials from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and Getchell Fire Department on Wednesday, Nov. 13, used a drone to find a missing Lake Stevens woman that was stuck in blackberry bushes. (Getchell Fire Department)

Officials from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and Getchell Fire Department on Wednesday, Nov. 13, used a drone to find a missing Lake Stevens woman that was stuck in blackberry bushes. (Getchell Fire Department)

Drones give state, local agencies a helpful eye in the sky

The Washington State Patrol has one of the largest drone fleets in the country with 130 statewide.

MONROE — Eyes on.

The city of Monroe is joining a growing number of local governments and agencies turning to the skies to gain a new perspective.

On Tuesday, the City Council set aside $18,000 in its 2020 budget for a flying drone to be shared by the city’s police, public works, marketing and other departments, city administrator Deborah Knight said.

Monroe parks director Mike Farrell said the new tool will help his department plan events and monitor projects.

The city’s stormwater division will use aerial photography to monitor important drainage routes that are sometimes covered by blackberry bushes.

Although the city budget goes into effect in January, the program will take months to get off the ground due to extensive required training.

Monroe’s purchase comes as drones and aerial photography become more prevalent in government agencies.

The Washington State Patrol started a drone pilot program in 2016, Sgt. Darren Wright said. A little more than three years later, the agency has one of the largest fleets in the country, with 130 of the drones statewide.

Their main use is for documenting the scenes of vehicle collisions, Wright said, and they’ve cut investigation times drastically.

Before, recording skid marks and areas where cars crashed or came to rest could force troopers to close lanes for hours, he said. With aerial photography, specialists can create maps of a scene in 20 minutes.

Since government and law enforcement agencies have started to use drones, organizations like the ACLU and the Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center have pushed for regulation on how they can be used.

Officials from local agencies using the airborne machines said they’re not used for surveillance.

In Snohomish County, the sheriff’s office, city of Edmonds, Lynnwood Police Department and Getchell Fire Department all use drones.

The Getchell department started using drones in 2017, Chief Travis Hots said.

The department’s machines aren’t what you’ll find in a hobby store.

Each costs about $25,000 and comes equipped with an infrared camera with a powerful zoom lens.

Hots and Deputy Chief Jeremy Stocker are the drones’ only licensed operators. They use the machines about once every three days to provide better views of fires or to help assist nearby agencies, Hots said.

“The idea behind it was to give crews more situational awareness,” he said.

On Wednesday, Hots assisted the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in the search for a 66-year-old Lake Stevens woman who went missing.

Using the drone, he spotted the woman stuck in blackberry bushes near her home. He let deputies know and they got her out safely.

In Edmonds, the city’s public works department bought its first drone in 2016.

“We had a couple of guys, myself included, that owned drones of our own — we saw the potential and started the discussions,” said streets and storm manager Tod Moles.

It took about six months of training before staff could fly the machine, which made its maiden municipal voyage in October 2017 after a mudslide in a Meadowdale neighborhood.

Fallen mud and trees threatened about 30 homes, and aerial photography let authorities know when it was safe to lift an evacuation notice.

Shortly after that flight, the machine crashed in some branches and had to be replaced. The city’s drones cost about $1,500, Moles said.

Since then, the parks department and urban forest management team have been using the drone.

“You really get an awful lot out of it,” Moles said. “I think they’ll find more and more uses for these things, and it’s certainly a benefit to us.”

The drone has also saved the city some money.

When the Edmonds City Council pondered a parking study in the summer, the drone was used to take photos of downtown, which cut $10,000 from the proposed study’s budget.

Joey Thompson: 425-339-3449; jthompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @byjoeythompson.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo cameras go live to curb speeding on Speedway

Starting Friday, an automated traffic camera system will cover four blocks of Mukilteo Speedway. A 30-day warning period is in place.

Carli Brockman lets her daughter Carli, 2, help push her ballot into the ballot drop box on the Snohomish County Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Here’s who filed for the primary election in Snohomish County

Positions with three or more candidates will go to voters Aug. 5 to determine final contenders for the Nov. 4 general election.

Students from Explorer Middle School gather Wednesday around a makeshift memorial for Emiliano “Emi” Munoz, who died Monday, May 5, after an electric bicycle accident in south Everett. (Aspen Anderson / The Herald)
Community and classmates mourn death of 13-year-old in bicycle accident

Emiliano “Emi” Munoz died from his injuries three days after colliding with a braided cable.

Danny Burgess, left, and Sandy Weakland, right, carefully pull out benthic organisms from sediment samples on Thursday, May 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Got Mud?’ Researchers monitor the health of the Puget Sound

For the next few weeks, the state’s marine monitoring team will collect sediment and organism samples across Puget Sound

Everett postal workers gather for a portrait to advertise the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County letter carriers prepare for food drive this Saturday

The largest single-day food drive in the country comes at an uncertain time for federal food bank funding.

Everett
Everett considers ordinance to require more apprentice labor

It would require apprentices to work 15% of the total labor hours for construction or renovation on most city projects over $1 million.

A person walks past Laura Haddad’s “Cloud” sculpture before boarding a Link car on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024 in SeaTac, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sound Transit seeks input on Everett bike, pedestrian improvements

The transit agency is looking for feedback about infrastructure improvements around new light rail stations.

A standard jet fuel, left, burns with extensive smoke output while a 50 percent SAF drop-in jet fuel, right, puts off less smoke during a demonstration of the difference in fuel emissions on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sustainable aviation fuel center gets funding boost

A planned research and development center focused on sustainable aviation… Continue reading

Dani Mundell, the athletic director at Everett Public Schools, at Everett Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Everett Public Schools to launch girls flag football as varsity sport

The first season will take place in the 2025-26 school year during the winter.

Clothing Optional performs at the Fisherman's Village Music Festival on Thursday, May 15 in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Everett gets its fill of music at Fisherman’s Village

The annual downtown music festival began Thursday and will continue until the early hours of Sunday.

Seen here are the blue pens Gov. Bob Ferguson uses to sign bills. Companies and other interest groups are hoping he’ll opt for red veto ink on a range of tax bills. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Tesla, Netflix, Philip Morris among those pushing WA governor for tax vetoes

Gov. Bob Ferguson is getting lots of requests to reject new taxes ahead of a Tuesday deadline for him to act on bills.

Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard
A new law in Washington will assure students are offered special education services until they are 22. State Sen. Adrian Cortes, D-Battle Ground, a special education teacher, was the sponsor. He spoke of the need for increased funding and support for public schools at a February rally of educators, parents and students at the Washington state Capitol.
Washington will offer special education to students longer under new law

A new law triggered by a lawsuit will ensure public school students… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.