Jefferson County Sheriff | Sheriff's drones
Four DJI aircraft for the Sheriff's SWAT unit, $14,784 on an Urban Area Security Initiative grant. The county's own request describes interdiction and disruption, and its answers on the grant form describe intelligence shared with partner agencies and critical infrastructure.
At a glance
- What was approved
- An Aircraft and Small Unmanned Aircraft System Request Form for Avata 2 and Mavic 3 Thermal drone tactical bundles, approved 4 February 2025 [1]
- Who paid
- The Homeland Security Grant Program, Federal Award ID EMW-2024-SS-0596, eGrant number 5032001, administered by the Office of the Governor's Homeland Security Grants Division [1]
- Why the form exists
- FEMA requires prior written approval for any aircraft or drone bought with Homeland Security Grant Program money. The form was signed by the County Judge on 13 January 2025 [1]
- The stated non-emergency use
- Aerial overview at major crime scenes for scene documentation, evidence collection and tactical planning; display-only demonstrations for local school districts; and training with the Tactical Team [1]
- The stated purpose
- The county wrote that the Sheriff's Office uses this capability to generate actionable intelligence, which is shared with partner law enforcement agencies and key critical infrastructure entities within Jefferson County and the surrounding region [1]
- How many aircraft, and what they cost
- Four. Two DJI Avata 2 Tactical with bundles at $2,696, and two Mavic 3 Thermal with light kits at $12,088. Total $14,784 [1]
- Who flies them
- The Sheriff's Office Special Weapons and Tactical unit. The county's request says the aircraft are to enhance its interdiction and disruption capabilities [1]
- Which grant
- Urban Area Security Initiative funds, under the Homeland Security Grant Program. The request memo is dated 23 January 2024 and the Court approved the form on 4 February 2025 [1]
- The privacy policy
- The form requires local policies for safeguarding privacy, civil rights and civil liberties to be attached, and records that something was attached. The policy itself is not in the packet the county publishes [1]
How it happened
- Decision
Two lines of DJI aircraft, on homeland security money
The Court approves an Aircraft and SUAS Request Form under Federal Award EMW-2024-SS-0596, eGrant 5032001, for Avata 2 and Mavic 3 Thermal drone tactical bundles. The memo behind it, from the County Judge to FEMA, says the aircraft are for the Sheriff's Special Weapons and Tactical unit, to enhance its interdiction and disruption capabilities, and itemizes two Avata 2 Tactical at $2,696 and two Mavic 3 Thermal with light kits at $12,088, $14,784 in all, on Urban Area Security Initiative funds. Motion by Commissioner Sinegal, second by Commissioner Willis, approved unanimously. [1]
The Sheriff’s drones arrived through a form rather than a purchase order. FEMA will not let a local agency buy an aircraft with Homeland Security Grant Program money without written approval first, so the request goes to the Office of the Governor on a standard form, and the county’s governing body has to authorize it. That is the item the Commissioners Court approved on 4 February 2025: an Aircraft and Small Unmanned Aircraft System Request Form under federal award EMW-2024-SS-0596, for Avata 2 and Mavic 3 drone tactical bundles.
The form is the most interesting document, because the county had to write down what the aircraft are for. Asked how they would be used outside emergencies, the county wrote about aerial overview at major crime scenes, display-only demonstrations for school districts, and training with the Tactical Team. Asked how the request supports the state’s strategic objective, it wrote that the Sheriff’s Office uses this capability to generate actionable intelligence, shared with partner law enforcement agencies and key critical infrastructure entities in the county and the surrounding region.
That last sentence is the one worth noticing. The grant is justified by terrorism prevention and the equipment is justified by intelligence sharing, and both of those are broader than the crime scene photography the same form describes.
The memo behind the form is more specific than the agenda item. Written by the County Judge to FEMA in January 2024, it says the Sheriff’s Office wants the aircraft for its Special Weapons and Tactical unit, to enhance its interdiction and disruption capabilities, and it itemizes the package: two Avata 2 Tactical at $2,696 and two Mavic 3 Thermal drones with light kits at $12,088. Four aircraft, $14,784, on Urban Area Security Initiative money.
The memo also records the county certifying that it had reviewed the Department of Homeland Security’s alert on Chinese-manufactured unmanned aircraft and confirmed the manufacturer was not on the federal exclusion list. Both aircraft are made by DJI.
What the record does not say
The policy. The form requires local policies for safeguarding privacy, civil rights and civil liberties to be attached, and records that something was, but the policy is not in the packet the county publishes. Nothing says whether flights are logged or whether what the aircraft record is kept.
What we do not know
- The text of the privacy, civil rights and civil liberties policy the grant form says was attached.
- Whether drone flights are logged, whether footage is retained, and for how long.
- Whether the Sheriff's Office has acquired other aircraft outside this grant.
What you can do
Show up
Systems like this one are approved by boards, councils and committees that meet in public. We have confirmed where each of them meets in Jefferson County and how public comment works there.
How to show up in Jefferson County →Protect yourself
Practical steps to shrink your personal data trail. Our guides publish at launch; until then, EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense is the best starting point.
Surveillance Self-Defense →Sources
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