LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) - The Gregg County Commissioner Court has approved funding for the sheriff's office for 10 new vehicles and a new drone.

Funds required for the purchases and necessary equipment for the vehicles totals about $600,000."Drone technology every year is growing by leaps and bounds," said Chief Deputy Craig Harrington.

"You turn on the TV, you look at what's going on overseas with drones. Drone technology is the future. You know, you look at your cameras on your cell phones and just how much they've increased over the last several years. Drone technology is no different. We've got the opportunity to upgrade our current drone system also with thermals. Everybody that hunts in East Texas knows about thermals. Thermal technology has increased from the time that we bought our drone to today. So we're just trying to upgrade our current drone program."