The Deep South isn’t known for being especially friendly to the drone industry. In fact, South Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama continue to rank at the very bottom of US states currently passing laws and regulations to support the burgeoning drone industry.   But one Deep South state – Georgia – has consistently stood apart from its regional neighbors.

Last year, the Peach State ranked #6 on the annual scorecard prepared by the Virginia-based Mercatus Center to measure the readiness of all 50 US states to promote drone commerce.  This year Georgia made it to #4 – ahead of Texas, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia – and it’s closing fast with the nation’s leaders, including North Dakota, Arkansas and Montana.

It’s a phenomenal rise that makes Georgia not only a geographic outlier but also an industry trend-setter.

Georgia scores high on all the major Mercatus indicators.  Early on, the state established an executive-level task force to plan and coordinate drone policy initiatives.  It passed laws or regulations to allow drones to fly more feely above public roads and private property.  It created a state-funded “drone sandbox” to give UAV start-ups space to design and test their prototypes.  And Georgia’s job market for drone pilots, designers, data analysts and mechanics is booming.

Georgia’s UAV use has surged across all sectors – from agriculture to law enforcement.  But one of the latest to witness a massive influx of drones is the energy sector.  Every six years, George Power conducts inspections of the state’s electric grid system – about 15,000 inspections in all.  The normal way of conducting those inspections is with field inspectors, supplemented with helicopters that search for possible downed lines, damaged poles and excess vegetation that can touch off a brush fire.

But this year, the company has added a new drone fleet to its arsenal.  Three years in development, the new drone fleet – equipped with high-powered zoom cameras capable of operating day and night –  can provide much closer aerial inspections, detecting flaws in the grid system overlooked by more conventional means.  The drones can reach remote inaccessible areas under windy conditions where even helicopters cannot fly safely, and without trained pilots or gas engines, they’re cheaper and more sustainable to operate.

Drones aren’t completely replacing existing survey methods but they’re providing powerful new “eyes in the sky,” company officials say.

“We are looking for damaged insulators, we’re looking for damaged conductors, we’re looking for rust on certain components,” Travis Watts, project manager for Georgia Power transmissions, told a local television station earlier this month.

“Our transmission system is a very complex system, so you really need to stay on top of all the different components,” he added

Georgia Power is not alone in seeking additional inspection support.  Fear of grid failures – and the threat of wildfires – is a growing concern nationally. In 2019, California’s PG&E was forced into bankruptcy after the company’s 100-year old transmission lines set off a fire that killed 85 people – and the victims sued.  In 2021, two Texas power companies filed for bankruptcy protection after a ruthless winter storm pummeled the state

And of course, with the latest wildfire tragedy in Maui – which has been traced to Hawaii Eelectric’s faulty grid management – power companies across the nation are now looking for ways to shore up their aging systems

Georgia is also one of two dozen states where local law enforcement has joined the Drone First Responder (DFR) program, which allows police to dispatch drones to crime and accident scenes automatically in response to 911 calls.  The drones provide situational intelligence that allows field officers to size up the tactical and force requirements of an emergency even before they arrive on the scene. DFR allows police to close 911 calls more quickly and has been shown to save not only scarce resources but also lives.

Georgia’s Brookhaven Police Department – though just 10 years old – was the first in the southeastern United States to launch a DFR program.  Brookhaven was formerly part of the Atlanta metropolitan area but in 2013, incorporated as a separate city.  Brookhaven PD’s drone program has a total of 15 unmanned aircraft from manufacturers that include DJI, Brinc Drones, and Autel Robotics. There are also specialty drones, like the Brinc Lemur S that can break down doors or break glass in support of SWAT and other forced entry operations.

In recent months, law enforcement in nearby jurisdictions have begun looking to the BPD for advice and support in building their own drone teams.  Much of the credit for the BPD’s pioneering role is due to its new chief, Brandon Gurley, who has made the acquisition of innovative technology a key part of his strategic management vision.

Gurley also seeks to build community support for the drone programs and has instituted strict protocols that limit how drones and drone footage can be utilized – to avoid issues relating to infringement on [privacy and free speech.  Residents have welcomed the police drone program, noting its impact on reductions in street crime, especially auto-thefts, which were once rampant.

Drones in Georgia are working beyond anyone’s expectations.  With any luck, that success may one day prove contagious elsewhere in the Deep South.

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