Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office gets FLIR thanks to grant

The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office has some new equipment thanks to a grant from BNSF Railway. 

Deputies and Search and Rescue from the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office will now be able to search for individuals lost in almost any weather condition, find perpetrators eluding law enforcement and search for possible accident victims thanks to small scopes with FLIR technology. 

FLIR is an acronym for Forward Looking Infrared. The Sheriff’s Office has recently purchased 16 of the FLIR Scout TK Thermal monocular units at just under $500 each and provided training to deputies on their use.    

The unit allows deputies to see body heat through low-light conditions and severe weather conditions. 

Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Levi Dominguez shared some of the capabilities of the unit with listeners during an appearance on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse.   

The units have been distributed to deputies over the course of two weeks. Deputies were also trained on the use of the video and digital photography capabilities of the unit and the use of such evidence in a court of law. 

The Sheriff’s Office was able to purchase the units thanks to a $5,000 grant from BNSF Railway, spearheaded by Deputy Erick Horsley and approximately $3,000 from the department budget.