Orange County jail to deploy anti-drone technology to prevent contraband drops

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County Jail staff said the county has allotted $350,000 for equipment to keep drones from delivering illicit material to jail inmates. Jail staff couldn't say whether drones had already dropped any contraband into the jail from above. They said they already had the money to try to keep it from happening.

County Corrections Chief Louis Quinones told Orange County Commissioners that it's not science fiction. 

"We have an open wide campus. So the individuals can fly the drone over and drop contraband," he said during a commission meeting.

Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe said corrections officers had some of the most challenging jobs in law enforcement. She said it was important for them to stay ahead of the bad guys. 

"Chief Quinones has to be one step ahead. Criminal activity is always happening. He was on the job, he was a corrections officer before moving up to chief. So he knows the kind of activity that goes on in the place."

Larry Levine is a prison consultant and former federal inmate. He said the tech may help, but it had its limitations.

"It has GPS built into it. It knows where it came from. So if it loses signal it's just going to return to whoever sent it to them."

Uribe said jail safety must be paramount. 

"We approved this for chief, knowing his staff and what’s going on, and anything we can, including updating technology, that is an ongoing when you look at the budget request, that's an ongoing issue," she said. "How do we stay ahead of the situation?"

Jail staff said they expect to start using the anti-drone equipment at the jail sometime this fall.