Georgia Department of Corrections Drone Detection Success Story

How the Georgia Department of Corrections strengthened airspace awareness and facility security with AirWarden®.
About Georgia Department of Corrections

One of the Nation’s Largest Correctional Systems

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is the tenth-largest correctional organization in the country, overseeing a statewide network of correctional facilities across Georgia.
34
State prisons
60+
Facilities statewide
49,000
Offenders housed
The Challenge

Drone Activity Becomes a
Growing Security Threat

What began as occasional drone sightings soon became a broader security concern. As facilities tracked more activity and contraband continued reaching inmates despite tighter visitor screening, GDC began to recognize drones as a new challenge around correctional facilities.
2015
First Drone Sightings
Georgia correctional facilities began noticing drones operating in their airspace, raising early concerns about activity around facilities.
2016
Sightings Formally Tracked
Facilities began reporting drone sightings, though connecting contraband incidents directly to drone deliveries remained difficult.
The Result
Contraband Route Confirmed
As drone sightings increased and contraband continued reaching inmates, GDC identified drones as a serious delivery route.
THE SOLUTION

Evaluating a Better
Detection Approach

In 2017, GDC began evaluating drone detection systems to find a solution that could perform reliably in real correctional environments. Five vendors were invited to demonstrate their capabilities, but not every system could consistently detect drones or identify the controller, which was critical for locating the pilot and uncovering related evidence.
AirWarden was one of the five systems evaluated and remained deployed at one Georgia facility for an extended evaluation, helping GDC refine response protocols and gather data to support future expansion.
AirWarden was one of five systems tested and is now deployed across several GDC facilities.
RESULTS

Earlier Detection, Faster
Contraband Interception

AirWarden gives GDC early warning of drones approaching the facility, giving staff more time to respond. Combined with GDC’s proactive response protocols, this has helped officers intercept significant quantities of contraband before they could reach inmates.
Among the contraband seizures documented in this case study:
$130,000
Heroin confiscated
$70,000
Cocaine confiscated
$200,000
Meth confiscated
$100,000
Marijuana & tobacco confiscated
One AirWarden alert helped staff recover 1.4 lbs of marijuana, 10 cell phones, and pounds of tobacco before inmates collected them.
CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY

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