The Westmoreland Central School District continues to make the safety of its students, staff and community members a top priority.
On January 3, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) unit conducted training at the Westmoreland Central School District. The unit, assisted by Westmoreland Director of Technology Matthew Cieri, practiced flying drones into, through and out of the district’s three school buildings. Drones are often used by law enforcement personnel when they are unable to physically and safely access a building during an emergency situation. 
“Our training focused on safety and awareness, particularly special maneuvers and search and rescue techniques using the drones,” Chief Deputy Jon Owens of the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office said. “We cannot thank Superintendent Migliori and the entire district enough for realizing the life-saving potential of this training.”
“It’s advantageous for Westmoreland to host this type of training,” Westmoreland Superintendent of Schools Rocco Migliori added. “In addition to the good practice, law enforcement personnel are able to familiarize themselves with the ins and outs of our school campus should they ever have to respond for a real emergency.”
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office officially launched its UAS unit in late 2019 after a special committee spent a year studying the use of drones and defining the unit’s role in public safety. The committee specifically studied best practices, along with the importance of protecting civil liberties and public trust.
“The UAS unit is ideal for missing person cases, search and rescue operations, accident scene reconstruction and fire scenes, or when an aerial perspective would be beneficial,” Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said. “The innovative and transformative uses of this technology can be requested at any time by any first responder in the county subject to the guidelines set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration.”
The Westmoreland Central School District has a longstanding relationship with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. Since the 1999-2000 school year, the district has had a School Resource Officer (SRO) through the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office dedicated to all three school buildings. The district also has one Special Patrol Officer (SPO) in the Primary Elementary School and Upper Elementary School during the school day. The SPO’s, like the SRO, are employed by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are fortunate to have worked with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office for 20 years now,” Superintendent Migliori said. “Maintaining safe school campuses is a community-wide responsibility, and we commend the Sheriff’s Office for their continued efforts and assistance.”