Oklahoma prison testing drones to watch outside spaces

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) will soon monitor the Red Rock Correctional Center with an AI-enhanced unarmed drone program, as leaders seek to reduce contraband while increasing safety and security for staff, inmates and the public.

Contraband such as drugs, cellphones and weapons often makes its way into prisons through perimeter drops — these perimeters, essentially the fence lines, are monitored around the clock by officers driving department vehicles. Now, prison officials have announced that drones connected to an AI visual inspection software will enhance that work.

“This is going to be a massive game-changer because we’ve mapped our entire facility,” said Candice Moore in a video news release. Moore is the chief administrator of IT and project management, and she also noted that the system “knows what is supposed to be in our yard versus what’s not supposed to be in our yard.”

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