Island County government is finally embracing drone technology, although one commissioner has concerns about the potential of government snooping on citizens.

The Island County Sheriff’s Office recently obtained an unmanned aerial vehicle while Public Works is moving forward with adopting a policy on operating drones, which can be equipped with cameras to provide views from above.

The commissioners discussed a draft of the policy during a workshop meeting earlier this month. Ed Sewester, the county engineer, explained that the drone operators need to follow state and FAA rules but that drones can be very valuable tools for bluff inspections, construction site mapping, storm and emergency response and other situations.

Sewester gave an example of a problem on a road at the edge of a bluff. He flew a drone to look for the guard rail and discovered that it was hanging over the bluff, which couldn’t be seen from the road.

“This is just one example of what you can’t see that’s a potential safety problem for us,” he said. “Having people hanging out over a bluff to see what’s happening is a problem.”

The proposed policy seeks to ensure transparency with the community by mandating that drone-related missions will be published in advance of use.

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson, however, said there was no policy in the world that would convince her to support the use of a tool that could be used to watch people, adding that she was simply a “non-droner.”

“Fundamentally, I don’t trust government enough to give them a tool like this,” she said.

Yet the other two commissioners said they saw the value in having a drone in the department. Commissioner Janet St. Clair pointed out that they could use a drone to map the shoreline and identify areas that are high risk for such problems as landslides.

The commissioners decided to move the drone policy to be adopted at a regular meeting, with Johnson promising to vote against it. After that, Public Works can move forward with buying a drone and sending people to training.

The commissioners were apparently unaware that the sheriff already has a drone and a policy for its use. During the discussion, Johnson questioned whether the sheriff could commandeer the drone for law enforcement uses; Sewester said he could not under the policy.

Yet Sheriff Rick Felici said the department obtained a drone about six weeks ago from a private donation and adopted a policy about six months ago. He said the department tried to use it recently in a marine rescue of an ailing boater, but the proximity of a Navy nuclear submarine in the water prevented it.

Felici explained that drones are commonly used by law enforcement nowadays. Some departments in the state regularly deploy them ahead of first responders. The Oak Harbor Police Department used one earlier this year to search a home for a possible intruder — who turned out to be hiding in a crawlspace.

Under the sheriff’s policy as well as state law, the drones can’t be used without a search warrant in criminal cases, except when there are exigent circumstances, such as when there are immediate risks associated with barricaded individuals and finding fleeing criminals.

Felici said he envisions that the drone will be used mainly as a search-and-rescue tool. The department often has to look for lost dementia patients and kids who wander off, as well as people lost in the woods; the infrared camera on the drone will be especially useful in finding warm-bodied people.

The drone has the capability of delivering five-pound packages, so it could be used to deliver a cell phone or water to someone stuck on a bluff — another occasional incident on the island.

“It’s literally just another tool like a camera or a radio,” he said.