Drone Incident Response Training (DIRT) for Corrections
Counter-UAS Training for Corrections Security, Facility Operations, and Institutional Response Personnel
Drone incidents are no longer limited to airspace security. For correctional facilities, the more immediate operational challenge often begins after a drone is on the ground.
A grounded, crashed, abandoned, or suspicious drone on or near correctional property creates a security problem, a contraband problem, and an institutional control problem. Whether the aircraft is delivering contraband, conducting surveillance, testing security posture, or carrying a hazardous payload, the first personnel to encounter it are unlikely to be a Bomb Squad or EOD Team. In most cases, the initial response will fall to correctional officers, perimeter personnel, supervisors, investigators, or response teams responsible for maintaining institutional control, preserving security, protecting personnel, and coordinating follow-on response.
Drone Incident Response Training (DIRT) for Corrections is a counter-UAS training course focused on the operational problem most correctional institutions are least prepared for: what to do after the drone is on the ground.
DIRT provides practical grounded-drone response training for corrections personnel, with instruction focused on hazard recognition, safe assessment, scene control, coordinated escalation, contraband risk, and institutional continuity during drone-related incidents.
Why DIRT for Corrections
Most counter-UAS training focuses on detection, airspace monitoring, and drone interdiction. Far fewer correctional institutions are prepared for what happens after the drone is on the ground.
For corrections personnel, this is the point where operational risk becomes immediate.
A suspicious drone discovered near a perimeter fence, recreation yard, housing unit, access road, vehicle sally port, staff parking area, roofline, or restricted institutional area may represent more than a nuisance or airspace issue. It may indicate contraband delivery, coordinated inmate activity, security testing, operational disruption, or a potential hazardous payload.
In these environments, even a single grounded drone incident can disrupt facility operations, compromise institutional control, expose vulnerabilities, trigger coordinated inmate behavior, and create unnecessary risk to personnel, inmates, and continuity of operations.
DIRT addresses the operational gap between drone detection and specialized response by providing personnel with practical procedures for grounded drone incidents before they escalate into larger institutional security or safety problems.
Who This Course Is For
Correctional Officers
Perimeter Security Personnel
Supervisors and Shift Commanders
Facility Investigators and Intelligence Personnel
Emergency Response and Tactical Teams
Contraband Interdiction Personnel
Transportation and Perimeter Control Personnel
Facility Safety and Security Personnel
Institutional Security and Risk Personnel
This training is intended for personnel responsible for institutional security, contraband interdiction, perimeter control, and initial response to suspicious drone activity on or near correctional property.
What This Training Covers
DIRT for Corrections focuses on practical grounded drone response procedures for correctional environments where institutional control, security, and continuity of operations must be preserved.
Instruction is built around the operational realities of correctional security environments and focuses on organizational readiness, safe decision-making, incident reporting, coordinated escalation, and institutional control before specialized assets arrive.
Grounded drone hazard recognition
Safe assessment procedures
Suspicious payload and dropped munition recognition
Scene security and perimeter control
Protective standoff and personnel safety
Reporting and escalation procedures
Evidence and intelligence preservation
Coordination with Bomb Squad, EOD, law enforcement, and institutional response partners
Continuity of operations during drone-related incidents
Training is designed to improve the ability of venue and stadium personnel to make safe, informed decisions during the earliest stages of a drone-related incident while protecting attendees, preserving safety, and reducing unnecessary disruption to venue operations.
Course Delivery Options
DIRT for Event & Stadium Security is available in three course formats to support varying operational requirements, training objectives, and resource availability.
Basic
4 Hours (Half Day)
Designed for personnel who require foundational awareness of grounded drone hazards, safe assessment, crowd safety, and reporting procedures.
Best suited for:
Awareness training
Executive exposure
Security team orientation
Initial venue familiarization
Intermediate
16 Hours (2 Days)
Designed for personnel who require a more operational understanding of grounded drone response, including practical exercises, scenario-based decision making, and integration of grounded drone response procedures into existing event and venue response frameworks.
Best suited for:
Security teams
Operations personnel
Supervisors
Event response personnel
SOP review and refinement
Intermediate DIRT introduces practical considerations for integrating grounded drone response into existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), reporting workflows, escalation pathways, and venue response procedures.
Advanced
40 Hours (5 Days)
Designed for organizations requiring comprehensive grounded drone response training with expanded practical application, scenario-based exercises, site-specific response integration, and structured support for planning, SOP refinement, and policy development.
Best suited for:
Dedicated security and operations teams
Event and emergency response personnel
Supervisory and planning staff
Site-specific response integration
Policy and procedure development
Advanced DIRT includes expanded scenario work, site-specific planning considerations, and facilitated discussion to support the development or refinement of grounded drone response SOPs, internal reporting procedures, escalation frameworks, continuity planning, and policy considerations aligned with event and venue operational requirements.
Training Outcomes
Recognize grounded drone threats in correctional environments
Assess suspicious drones from a safe distance
Protect personnel and preserve institutional control
Establish initial control measures
Report clearly and escalate appropriately
Preserve evidence and intelligence value
Support continuity of facility operations during drone-related incidents
Coordinate effectively with internal and external response partners
Intermediate and Advanced course participants will also be better prepared to evaluate, refine, and support the integration of grounded drone response procedures into existing institutional SOPs, reporting structures, escalation pathways, and correctional security policies.
Why 38 Sierra
38 Sierra provides counter-UAS training built around the operational realities of modern drone threats and the practical response challenges they create for correctional institutions.
DIRT was developed to address the gap between drone detection and safe, effective response after a drone is on the ground. Our training is informed by grounded-drone threat analysis, operational response considerations, and the realities of correctional environments where drone incidents can create immediate security, contraband, and institutional control consequences.
DIRT for Corrections is built to provide practical, decision-focused training for organizations responsible for institutional security, contraband interdiction, and operational continuity in environments where drone incidents create immediate operational consequences.
Delivery and Customization
DIRT for Corrections can be delivered on-site or integrated into existing correctional security, institutional response, and emergency response programs.
Training can be tailored to support:
Facility-specific operational environments
Perimeter and institutional security priorities
Contraband interdiction requirements
Internal reporting structures
Existing response protocols
Institutional safety coordination objectives
SOP refinement and development priorities
Policy and escalation framework considerations
Request Training
To discuss DIRT for Corrections, evaluate delivery options, or review facility-specific training requirements, contact 38 Sierra.