Georgia jail uses drones to block dangerous deliveries to inmates

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+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Georgia jail uses drones to block dangerous deliveries to inmates The Fulton County jail in Georgia is using drones to intercept deliveries of dangerous contraband to inmates.

+ National Georgia jail uses drones to block dangerous deliveries to inmates April 16, 20265:31 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered From By Chamian Cruz Georgia jail uses drones to block dangerous deliveries to inmates Listen &middot; 3:38 3:38 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5772113-e1/nx-s1-9733417" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The Fulton County jail in Georgia is using drones to intercept deliveries of dangerous contraband to inmates. The drones are made by Flock, a company under scrutiny for its surveillance reach. Sponsor Message AILSA CHANG, HOST: A sheriff in Georgia says that he is using a first-of-its-kind drone system to keep other drones from carrying contraband into the jail that he runs. It's one way that police across the country are trying to plug safety gaps, but critics warn that the new jail drone could lead to mass surveillance. From member station WABE in Atlanta, Chamian Cruz reports.

+ (SOUNDBITE OF DRONE BUZZING) CHAMIAN CRUZ, BYLINE: A drone that can record audio and video is docked on the roof of Atlanta's Fulton County Jail, ready to take off anywhere within a 4-mile radius. PATRICK LABAT: This has been certainly the bane of some of our existence. CRUZ: That's Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat at a recent event showcasing the technology. He says almost 300 drone flights were spotted over his jail's airspace in the first half of 2025 and that most of those were delivering what he calls contraband. LABAT: We've had everything from chicken sandwiches to cigarettes to really just tools to take the jail apart. CRUZ: Labat says he's seen drones fly across the perimeter to deliver items directly to people in jail through holes in windows. In some prisons, drones deliver drugs, weapons and cellphones. LABAT: Now, if it were up to me, I'd take a shotgun and I'd shoot them all down, right? I'd climb up top of the roof, but certainly we can't do that right now. CRUZ: That's because federal law limits state and local officials' ability to detect and stop drone threats. Nearly two dozen state attorneys general, including Georgia's, recently sent a letter to the Trump administration aiming to change that. But for now, private companies are stepping up to offer support. GARRETT LANGLEY: Working a facility like this is not easy. CRUZ: That's Garrett Langley, CEO of Atlanta-based Flock Safety, which is supplying the jail drone. He says he hopes it'll be the first of many. LANGLEY: For the sheriff, drones can become a force multiplier, increasing safety for both the deputies and the individuals who are here in custody. CRUZ: Some other law enforcement agencies are already using drones to help with emergency calls, but Langley says he wants his to help catch the suspects behind contraband drops. The drone at the jail can arrive at a security breach within 85 seconds, way faster than it would take deputies. And Flock says half a dozen deputies have been trained as drone operators. Problem is, critics don't share their excitement. Christopher Bruce is with the ACLU of Georgia. CHRISTOPHER BRUCE: It's not just going to be at a jail. CRUZ: In fact, the sheriff says he ultimately wants to expand to position 19 drones around the county to do things like check that registered sex offenders are where they should be. But Bruce says a drone with eyes in the sky should concern everyone in the surrounding area. BRUCE: When you put up a camera, that camera is not just going to pick up a specific target. Anybody that walks by a camera could be held and their data could be held for whatever reason. CRUZ: Flock has come under fire over its automatic license plate readers. The technology is popular with police for helping solve crimes, but some cities have ditched it over fears that local data could be used to aid federal immigration efforts. The sheriff didn't address those concerns, but he says his new jail drone is, quote, "not a Big Brother situation." For NPR News, I'm Chamian Cruz in Atlanta. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();