The Atlantic Police Department says the Cass County Sheriff’s Office received reports at around 2-a.m. Monday (July 5), of a large number of cattle out in the area of Littlefield Road and 350th Street. While at the scene, a member of the Cass County Drone Team utilized the Sheriff’s Office equipment and assisted with the call. Over the course of two hours, a Cass County Drone with thermal imagining capabilities was used to locate and bring over 40 head of cattle back to the pasture where they belonged.

During the event, the pilot launched and landed multiple times and eventually found several groups of cattle that had broken off to different areas. The ability to use thermal imaging during the call, authorities say, proved to be invaluable in locating all of the cattle while working in the dark. The availability of the equipment also saved time and resources by speeding up the process of recovery.

The Drone Team consist of members of the Police Department, Sheriffs Office, and Atlantic Fire Department.