Most drones can’t carry a lot of weight. But it doesn’t take much cargo to make money when your product is worth $12,750 per pound. That’s the price a load of cocaine flown into the US from Mexico could have fetched, if Border Patrol agents hadn’t foiled the operation.
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The first officer on the scene might be a drone pilot. Cities in California are utilizing police drones as the “first responder” on some calls. The goal is to get eyes on a scene as soon as possible, for instance to track suspects fleeing a crime.
Walnut Creek, California Police will put forward a report to the Walnut Creek City Council about the possibility to use drones for various tasks within law enforcement. The report will showcase the usefulness of drones and the improved safety they provide officers.
Police in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, used a drone to show the full extent of an outdoor cannabis cultivation in central-west New South Wales. The police were able to uncover a 20,000-acre property being used to grow cannabis, with more than $3.5 million being seized.
Western Australia‘s (WA) police force is going to begin using drones to deliver public service announcements. The drones will be at various popular locations, including beaches and parks where groups aren’t following the new laws in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
On Thursday morning, the Oxnard Police Department arrested a man for suspicion of prowling. Two residents in the Pleasant Valley Estates housing tracts saw the man suspiciously looking into the backyards of their neighbors’ homes. They kept following the suspect and contacted the police, who later deployed a drone to help in the arrest of the man.
Spanish Quaternium sets a drone flight time record of eight hours and ten minutes, almost one hour longer than the previous record. Watch the short video below in which the police from Benidorm, Spain explains the value of such long flight times.
In Enfield, Connecticut, police used a drone to find a blind man who had walked away from home and became disoriented. The police said they were contacted by a family member of the man on Saturday morning around 8:45 am. Family members told the police that they were unable to make contact with the man which was uncommon.
After one year of police officers flying about a dozen DJI Mavic Airs to fight crime and respond to emergencies, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has released its first report on their use. The annual drone use report is part of the Sheriff’s Office transparency policy that explains the agreement between the police and the community on how the unmanned aerial systems are allowed to be used.
The Barnegat Police have started using two new DJI drones, a DJI Matrice 210 and a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise in New Jersey. The unmanned aerial systems were paid for with grant funds available through a New Jersey Division of Highway Safety program.
The Howard County Police department (HCPD) announced in a press release that it will be testing out drones in a year-long test. The news comes after a recommendation from a workgroup last November suggested the police department should purchase three drones to use in the field test.
Iowa State Patrol will begin using drones to aid in investigations and map road crashes for further digital investigation. This welcomed piece of equipment will allow for Iowa roads to open up sooner after a crash, up to three times faster in some cases.
A police drone captured a crack cocaine deal live from 3,100 feet in the air in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The drone footage was approved beforehand by a judge, and it marks the first time that the Miami-Dade Police have used an unmanned aerial vehicle to get real-time evidence in a criminal investigation.
Police in the United Kingdom will soon be able to police drones in a similar fashion to how cars are policed today. UK Police will be able to force people to land drones, which they are then able to inspect and seize if necessary.
In the UK, the police have warned criminals, “You won’t be able to hide from our new drone,” which can track suspects fleeing crimes such as burglary and robbery. As part of a new drone team at the Nottinghamshire Police, 15 officers are being trained as drone pilots. Once the officers arrive at the scene of a crime, a drone can be deployed within eight minutes.
The police shot a reporter’s drone out of the sky in the municipality of Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Mexico, on Monday morning.
A report by UK‘s Air Accidents Investigation Branch found that DJI Matrice 200 drones used by police were falling out of the sky in the rain due to a technical fault. The drone pilots lost full control and power of the drone causing it to fall straight down to the ground while in use by police.
The Nottinghamshire Police force in the UK, along with the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue, is adding a 24/7 drone team as a new way to improve security as well as for use in emergencies. The team will also have a dedicated drone car used for fast responses and as a mobile ground station.
Exposed Dronesense data shows flights of police drones. Dronesense, a company that provides a platform to law enforcement and government agencies as well as private clients for flying drones, accidentally exposed a database of customer data. The information in some cases showed exactly where the police drones had flown.
In Ohio, the Miami County Sheriff’s Office buys a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual with drugs money that was seized after arrest and conviction. The law enforcement agency adds the “Swiss-army knife” to its fleet after having discussed the $4,500 purchase for over one year and acknowledging that the drone is a “very impressive piece of equipment.” Its ability to cover a lot of ground quickly could be “the minutes that count between life and death.”
The Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) is the first in the world to use the Skydio 2 drones that are made in Redwood City, California. Eight CVPD officers have been trained, licensed, and FAA certified as pilots and have been using the Skydio 2 drones for the last four weeks. From early reports, we know that the American drone manufacturer has been targeting first responders, fire, and police departments with the Skydio 2 drone.
The NYT published a great and lengthy article on drones used in crime and the fact that local law enforcement is almost powerless in fighting these crimes. Below are some of the highlights of the article. If you have a minute I would suggest reading the entire piece.
More and more police departments around the country are using drones and starting drone programs. The Chula Vista Police Department reported on Wednesday that they flew more than 1,000 drone missions in the first year since launching their Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program, which is part of the UAS Integration Pilot Program. The drone program assisted in 130 arrests.
The San Pablo police have purchased three US-1 drones from Impossible Aerospace to “keep our community safer and our officers much safer,” says Capt. Brian Bubar. The battery-powered drones from Impossible Aerospace are known for their incredibly long flight times.
