RENO, Nev. — The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is taking to the skies in a new way to help protect the Great Reno Balloon Race from a potentially catastrophic drone collision, 2 News Nevada reported.
Partnering with private tech company Dedrone, the sheriff’s office is using drone-detection sensors to monitor airspace within a five-mile radius of the event, according to the report. The goal: prevent unauthorized drones from interfering with hot air balloons.
“We have a bunch of balloons in the air and it just takes one gust of wind to blow a drone into a balloon and we can have a catastrophic event,” Sgt. Noah Boyer told 2 News. “That’s the last thing we want here.”
The sheriff’s office says the need for drone detection became clear during 2024’s balloon races, as the number of unauthorized drones flying over large gatherings and events has sharply increased. On one morning, authorities detected six different drones near the event. Officers located the operators and educated them about the safety risks involved.
The sheriff’s office has also applied for a Department of Homeland Security grant to acquire a sensor package for long-term use, which would allow them to deploy similar technology at other special events or wildfire scenes, according to the report.
Officials plan to meet in the coming week to assess where the drone-detection technology can be most effectively deployed in the future.
