Arpaio says his drones would target drug dealers in the 'boondocks.' | REUTERS Joe Arpaio seeks 'one or two' drones

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says that media reports that he wants a “fleet” of drones for his office are wrong — he only wants one or two.

The outspoken sheriff was on Phoenix radio station KFYI on Tuesday and radio host Mike Broomhead asked him about a report on Russian news site RT.com that he wanted to acquire a fleet of the unmanned aerial vehicles.


“A fleet! I want one, or two,” Arpaio said, saying that the drones he wants are not anything extreme. “They’re not the drones they have in Afghanistan or at the U.S.-Mexican border. These are small drones the size of a briefcase — high-tech, can take photos, and surveillance, go after the dope peddlers, search and rescue, try to stop the contraband from coming over the fence and our tents. So what’s wrong with that?”

Arpaio also dismissed privacy concerns about his use of drones, saying his plans will target drug dealers in the “boondocks”

“My program isn’t to fly over swimming pools in downtown Phoenix. It’s going out to the boondocks, where my people are locking up dope peddlers, gun battles. So I’ll do anything I can to protect my deputies, and also to find and locate missing people in the desert,” Arpaio said. “We’ve located 30; 12 were killed. I think the immigration people should be praising me for rescuing everyone. Now with drones we can do it more easily.”

Arpaio compared the vehicles to helicopters, saying those are already in use to locate fugitives and do similar tasks.

This article tagged under: Drones

Joe Arpaio