INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In a moment that looked more like a scene from a Hollywood action film than a routine rescue, a drone recently dropped a life jacket to a man struggling in rough waters during flooding in Washington state on December 11.
The man was stranded atop his vehicle as the Snoqualmie River surged around him in King County. With floodwaters raging and danger mounting, a sheriff’s deputy launched a drone that delivered a life jacket, giving him a critical lifeline.
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According to DroneXL, a website covering drone news, it was the first time the sheriff’s department had done such a thing and the deputy was praised on social media by his department for “another case of a deputy going above and beyond.” Afterward, the man was hoisted to safety by a helicopter.
And that’s where Michigan enters the frame.
Michigan’s drone era is here.
Across Michigan, law enforcement and fire departments are increasingly using drones to do what helicopters or boots on the ground can’t always do quickly enough – find missing people and save the lives of those in imminent danger.
Finding the vulnerable before time runs out.
In 2025, counties across the state have been using drones to do just that. In a dramatic mid-summer rescue this year on the Grand River, Ingham County first responders used both a drone and the What3Words location app to save a stranded 78-year-old kayaker who couldn’t pinpoint her whereabouts after getting stuck on a steep bank. Dispatchers guided rescuers by phone and via the unique three-word location, enabling a drone to locate her in under four minutes; Mason Fire Department then reached and brought her to safety unharmed.
In Kent County, the Sheriff’s Office has expanded its drone program specifically for search-and- rescue missions, crediting the technology with faster response times and safer outcomes for both missing people and first responders.
One of the most powerful uses of drones in Michigan has been locating missing elderly residents – particularly those with dementia. In Van Buren County, Michigan State Police used a drone in March to find a missing 86-year-old elderly man who had wandered off to check on his property. Instead of hours of blind searching, the drone’s aerial view allowed troopers to locate him quickly and get him help before exposure or injury turned fatal.
Technology that strengthens, not replaces, first responders.
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That outcome underscores the technology’s real value, not as a replacement for police or rescue crews, but as a critical advantage when seconds matter. Drones don’t replace boots on the ground.
They don’t make arrests or carry stretchers. They eliminate guesswork, and in emergencies, guesswork can be deadly, while augmenting the work of first responders.
National policing groups point to real-world results.
National law enforcement leaders say the technology is already proving its value. The International Association of Chiefs of Police has described drones as a “force multiplier” for police departments, particularly in search-and-rescue operations, disaster response, and missing-person cases. By providing real-time aerial views, the organization says drones allow officers to make faster decisions while reducing risk to both first responders and the public.
The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) has similarly noted that drones allow agencies to search larger areas more quickly than ground teams alone, often locating missing individuals in minutes instead of hours. PERF researchers have pointed out that faster aerial searches can be the difference between rescue and recovery – particularly in cases involving exposure, cold weather, or medical emergencies.
The National Sheriffs’ Association has also highlighted drones as a quick and cost-effective way for departments to expand their search-and-rescue capabilities.
In emergencies, technology doesn’t replace human judgment – it sharpens it. Across Michigan and the country, drones have become another tool in the first responder’s toolbox, allowing teams to see faster, search smarter, and reach people who might otherwise be lost to time, terrain, or weather. Sometimes, saving a life starts not with sirens or rotors, but with a small aircraft in the sky and trained eyes on a screen.
