Thursday, October 1, 2026
When someone is struggling in the water, every second can make a difference. Nassau County police are now turning to the sky for help.
The Nassau County Police Department demonstrated a new water rescue capability for its recently launched Drone as First Responder program Sept. 10 at Masone Beach in Island Park, unveiling drones equipped with flotation devices that can be deployed to swimmers, boaters, kayakers and others in distress.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said the technology is especially important in a county surrounded by water, where beaches, boating and fishing are part of everyday life.
“We are an island surrounded by water,” Blakeman said. “Our beaches are very important to us. Boating is very important. Fishing is very important.”
The water rescue equipment is designed to reach someone in distress before police or marine units can arrive. According to Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, a 911 call reporting someone in trouble in the water is automatically geocoded, allowing a drone pilot at the department’s intelligence center to immediately send a drone to the location.
“If there is a swimmer in distress, if there’s a kayaker or a boater, a missing person on the waterways, we will immediately deploy these drones,” Blakeman explained.
The drones can travel at speeds of up to 45 mph and remain airborne for roughly 25 to 30 minutes before needing to be recharged. They are also equipped with technology that can help locate people, including thermal imaging.
Once the drone reaches a person in the water, it can drop a flotation device. A water-activated beacon on the equipment can be seen from more than a mile away, while the flotation device opens when it hits the water, giving the person something to hold onto while emergency crews continue responding.
Ryder said the goal is not to replace the department’s marine or aviation units, but to give people in trouble something to hold onto during the critical minutes before rescuers arrive.
“We live on an island,” Ryder said. “Everybody knows, in the summer, our marine units do over 150 rescues a year. Five to 10 minutes can mean the saving of someone’s life.”
The drones are currently stationed at eight locations throughout Nassau County. Ryder said the department plans to expand the program to 24 drones by the spring.
“We’ve already seen a large use,” Ryder said of the program. “We have dedicated pilots that are at the station waiting for those calls to come out.”
The department has 40 FAA-certified drone pilots, with 12 currently dedicated to the Drone as First Responder program. The drones generally operate at about 200 feet but can descend to roughly 20 feet when necessary.
The system is also designed to provide overlapping coverage, allowing another drone to be deployed if the first drone is searching for an extended period and its battery begins to run low.
Weather remains one limitation. Strong winds and heavy rain can prevent the drones from flying, making the department’s marine and aviation units essential parts of the rescue response.
The new equipment is being funded through asset forfeiture money seized from drug-related investigations rather than taxpayer dollars, Ryder said.
For Island Park and other South Shore communities, the technology adds another layer of protection to waterways where residents and visitors spend much of the summer.
“Everything we can do to keep our community safe, we will do,” Blakeman said. “We have made that commitment.”
