Tom Madigan - Leader in COA Operation for Public Safety

When it comes to someone with an extensive resume in law enforcement, Tom Madigan has a bio that reads like the book of an expert. His experience runs from find them, catch them, extract them, test them, to lock them up. In other words, patrol, detective, SWAT, crime lab, and corrections. Today we can aviation to that list.

With 25 years under his belt, he has finally landed as the Assistant Sheriff at the Alameda County Sheriff's Office in California. He is responsible for the aviation program that includes a big fleet of drones, pilots, airplanes, and helicopters. Tom is a private pilot and holds a Part 107 certificate.

Assistant Sheriff Madigan has been critically involved in many efforts to integrate drones into public safety. If there is an important group to present to or advise, he's done it.

I invited Tom on to pick his brain about what an exceptional COA flight program looks like in law enforcement so others can follow his lead.

• Doing what you want under a COA as a public safety flight operation.
• Aircraft integration.
• Airspace considerations.
• Not every single person makes a good public safety pilot.
• Checklists.
• Not every flight is smart to do.
• Officers and deputies are flying FAA-recognized aircraft and precautions need to be taken. 
• Using drones as a force multiplier.
• Why buying inexpensive drones makes the most sense right now.
• Look at drones priced so they are disposable and avoid expensive drones right now.
• Using multiple UAS at a scene.
• Drones will not take the jobs of manned pilots.
• Top lessons all departments should know before launching into a UAS program.
• The importance of internal and community PR awareness of your drone program.
• You can pursue Part 107 training and a COA at the same time.

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You can read the show transcript here.