SANDPOINT — Bonner County Sheriff’s Office will soon have another tool in its belt to help detect missing persons.  

At Tuesday’s business meeting, BCSO was approved to purchase an airborne drone from General Pacific, Inc. for $17,288. The drone will be utilized in search and rescue missions and crime scene investigations and has thermal imaging capabilities that allow officials to see the body temperatures of missing individuals in difficult conditions such as snow and high-density forest areas.  

The 2-1 decision to approve the drone purchase came after debate from the community, as Commissioner Ron Korn brought up concerns about the Chinese drone manufacturing company, Da Jiang Innovations, and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party.  

“I just have concerns ... Even though DJI denies that they're a military drone manufacturer, it looks pretty obvious that they have that capability, so I'm a little concerned that we would be purchasing that (drone) as a government agency, not knowing what the pitfalls might be on that,” said Korn. 

According to Commissioner Asia Williams, a majority of public worries stemmed from the technology company’s background and association. While it’s a private company, DJI has received several investments from Bejing administrations that allegedly have connections to Chinese military.  

H.R. 2864, the Countering CCP Drones Act, is a bill that aims to restrict the purchasing of DJI equipment with federal funding, as such equipment has the potential to pose a risk to national security. The bill was introduced to Congress in 2023, where it currently remains with the Senate.

“I personally have concerns purchasing any equipment from that has any affiliations with the CCP. It's a known fact that they spy on Americans,” Bonner County resident Theresa Hiesener said during public comment.  

Although concerns were raised about the drone manufacturer’s country of origin, county resident Spencer Hutchings was able to spread light on public worries in an effort to ease minds.  

“They (DJI) have two products, they've got one made and assembled in China, and it's what people would worry about. But I think the ones you guys are probably buying are the ones that are assembled down in Cerritos, which is not one of those ones that people should be worried about getting spied on. DJI makes drones in the States so that the sheriffs and other departments can buy them and not be worrying about China spying on,” said Hutchings.  

In another point, when asked about purchasing a DJI drone, Sheriff Daryl Wheeler said that the drone was ideal for the department as it was a fairly priced piece of equipment and would give the department a better opportunity of finding lost individuals in time-sensitive situations.

“We’ve had an incredible increase in Alzheimer's patients, people with injuries and other medical conditions, where we are forced to go out and search for these people. Having this tool at our advantage is going to be crucial for the success of finding these people before they succumb to the to the weather conditions," said Wheeler.

The drone purchase was approved in a 2-1 vote, with Commissioners Brian Domke and Williams voting in favor and Korn against. It is unknown when the drone will arrive and be ready for use.