KEMAH — Kemah Police Chief Raymond Garivey, along with the president and vice president of the Blue Line Legion Foundation, presented a new drone program to the city council Wednesday.

The drone will serve as an additional “eye in the sky” for the Kemah Police Department.

“Fourth of July, we had 56,000 people here within a four-hour period, and we need eyes in the sky to see what is going on and where criminal activity may be occurring,” Garivey said. “If something were to happen at the Boardwalk, we weren’t even able to get there because of the crowd and traffic. This would at least allow us to get over there, see what’s happening, and start filming and recording the area.”

The department plans to use the drone in a variety of situations, including crime scenes, traffic accidents, investigations, and community events.

“It could be a crime scene, totality accidents — you name it,” Garivey said. “It could be part of investigations. It could be used for undercover investigations or narcotics investigations. If we get a tip on someone possibly having a grow house in their backyard and we get a search warrant, we could have this up in the air. It’s also for community events to help protect people and provide those additional eyes.”

The partnership between the police department and the Blue Line Legion Foundation came naturally because of the organization’s ties to law enforcement.

“Our background is law enforcement anyway; U.S. Coast Guard and the foundation seemed like a great vehicle that we could use to support law enforcement agencies and officers who are wounded in the line of duty,” said Blue Line Legion Foundation President Web Sparks.

Blue Line Legion reached out to the Kemah Police Department to ask what equipment the department needed, which led to discussions about acquiring a drone.

“When they began their foundation, they reached out and asked if there was something we needed,” Garivey said. “Without a doubt, I said we need a drone. We have three to four million visitors a year who come into Kemah. We’re a tourist town, and we need eyes in the sky from time to time. Without hesitation, these guys said, ‘It’s done. What do you need? Go get it. We got you.’ We really appreciate that.”

The Blue Line Legion Foundation has provided similar donations to law enforcement agencies, sometimes covering the costs entirely out of pocket. The organization’s goal is to help departments obtain equipment they may not otherwise be able to afford.

“Our goal in the foundation is to help underfunded departments with the equipment they need to protect officer safety,” said Blue Line Legion Foundation Vice President Hal Finberg.

Kemah taxpayers will not be responsible for any costs associated with the drone, as the equipment was funded through the Blue Line Legion Foundation.

The foundation says it will continue supporting law enforcement agencies, and Kemah residents can expect to see the drone operational soon.