Drones Used For Law Enforcement | Modern Tools for Policing

The EPS has been using Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), commonly known as “drones,” since 2014. The purpose of this equipment is to assist police in their investigations. Cost-effective, quick to deploy, with excellent zoom and thermal camera capabilities, RPAS are particularly useful for taking aerial images of major collision scenes and searching for missing persons.
Recently, RPAS has been used by Tactical Section to view interior spaces and ensure they are safe to enter, and to provide aerial overwatch during high-risk situations, drastically improving officer safety.
RPAS is also useful in bomb analysis, allowing for reconnaissance of suspicious items in difficult-to-access locations, and post-blast viewing of a scene prior to any disturbance of the scene that would be caused by traditional crime scene evaluation tools.
EPS currently has 10 RPAS, most of which were purchased in 2019 at individual costs ranging from $650-$32,000. One additional RPAS has been ordered at the cost of $13,000 and is expected to arrive in several months. There are currently 8 officers trained to pilot the aircrafts, with 10 more scheduled to receive training this fall.
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