New technology helps law enforcement hone in on illegal drone use
Jun 18, 2026, 7:00 PM
OGDEN — Weber County deputies now have a new tool to hone in on illegal drones and their pilots. Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Horton believes the technology will prove useful as the fire season flares up.
“If they’re bringing air support to douse those fires and the drone goes into that area unauthorized, the air operations ceases right there, which causes the fire to spread,” Horton explained. “The Willard Peak Fire last year, we did have some drone incursions in that, which halted or pulled back on air sources for quite a while.”
The system is called Air Sentinel, and it’s been donated to the Weber County Sheriff’s Office by the company by the same name. Horton said the technology costs around $10,000, which puts it in a range that could make it affordable to more agencies around the state and country.
Lt. Mike Horton with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office is pictured in Ogden on Tuesday. (Mike Anderson, KSL)
“The nice thing about this system is it not only shows us where the drone is, but it shows us where the pilot is standing so we can actually go take action and tell them to get their drone on the ground,” Horton said.
Air Sentinel is able to track unique IDs that are required by the Federal Aviation Administration to be broadcast by all drones. The law went into full effect in March 2024. With the help of an antenna mounted onto a trailer, deputies can quickly set up a perimeter of up to 10 miles.
Air Sentinel’s software can show the altitude, flight path and pilot location of a drone within its perimeter. (Mike Anderson, KSL)
While the system hasn’t been put to use in active fire response just yet, Horton said it has already proven useful in large public gatherings.
“It was used for the Ogden Marathon this year, and we did catch an illegal drone that was in the area that shouldn’t have been in the area,” Horton recalled. “We can deploy that for large gatherings or large groups like parades and stuff like that, just to monitor and see if they’re allowed to be there.”
According to Utah law, flying a drone over an active fire is a class B misdemeanor that could carry a maximum of six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.
