DRONES IN PATROL FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED

POLICE DEPARTMENTS

It is 2023, and the Law Enforcement world has been turned upside down from just four years ago. In 2019 crime was a ‘concern’ in the major large cities, while outside the metropolitan areas, crime was trending downward. Now all departments have problems. One of the major problems is the shortage of qualified candidates to fill the almost twenty-five percent drop in Sworn Officers. 

Of course, many factors have caused the problem. One of the significant factors attributed to the lack of workforce is that young people in their twenties seek employment outside law enforcement for many reasons, including social pressures, inability to meet standards, and dangers involved, correctly or incorrectly perceived.

There have been many suggestions to recruit essential qualified individuals to become sworn officers, but departments are still short-handed. Bonuses for ‘Laterals”, Lowering Standards (proven not to work in the past), and Raising Salaries and Benefits are proffered. At the same time, many large city Departments have prioritized the calls-for-service they will respond to the lack of “manpower.”

Stolen Vehicles, Vandalism, House Breaking, Minor Thefts, and now even Minor Assault calls for service are handled by Department Telephone Reporting Units. Some Departments have even prioritized “Minor” Felony calls they take over the telephone.

The U.S. Marine Corps has a maxim “Adapt, Improvise, Overcome.” To correct the shortages, Departments are turning to inventive ways to ‘do more with less.’ Now may be the time for Law Enforcement to step up and follow the Marine maxim and adopt Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems (Drones) for full-time support of officers while on patrol duties, thus making up for the lack of “boots on the ground.”

There are over 3 million UAVs in America, increasing tenfold in the next five years. Those innovative large Departments that can afford Drones are now using them in cases of Missing Persons, Surveillance, Traffic Observation, Natural Disasters, and Manhunts. The next logical step is to begin patrol functions using Drones. This step is a small but essential one. Now is the time to take “Police” Drones to the next level. 

Small to Medium sized Departments are not currently using Drones in any aspect of their operations. If a Drone is needed, they usually rely on the Large Department to provide the service under ‘Memorandums of Understandings.’

Before we further discuss Drones, what is a Drone? The term Drone was originally an Etymological term that has been adapted for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems (UAVs). Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) – Robotic type device that is physically pilotless and remotely controlled using dedicated software.

> SIZE OF DEPARTMENTS <

For this article, the following are defined sizes of Law Enforcement Agencies. 

Small: 1 to 49 Sworn Officers, with the most common small-sized Departments employing ten or fewer Sworn Officers. 

Medium: 50 to 250 Sworn Officers 

> THINGS TO CONSIDER <

Departments considering UAVs (Drones) must first build a case with the community to support their needs. As stated above, personnel shortages should be at the head of the list to begin the conversation with the community. Two other significant issues are forefront of public concerns: Civil Liberties and Privacy.

Civil Liberties – U.S. Constitution, 1st Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

Privacy – U.S. Constitution, 4th Amendment, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no Warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Privacy – U.S. Constitution, 9th Amendment, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

FAA Regulations and the Fight Times of UAVs that have been difficult in the past have been negotiated and are now workable and should be little to no obstacle in the future.

> WHO WILL OPERATE THE SYSTEM? <

There are two ways to operate – In House or Contractural

In-House 

The Department operates its own Patrol UAVs. The Department will have control of the entire operation, including Purchasing UAVs Systems; Hiring needed personnel to operate and maintain UAVs; Supervising Pilots (Salaries, Benefits, Possible Retirements); Pilots (Salaries, Benefits, Possible Retirements); Maintenance, Liability; Training; Adhere to FAA Rules and Regulations; and Purchasing all needed equipment, UAVs (Complete Systems) to include the Fuselage – Conventional wing, Tail Assembly/Empennage, Payload – Camera, Transmitter and Receiver, Propulsion System, Landing Gear, Flight Controller, Electronic Speed Controller, Battery Eliminator Circuit, and Inertial Navigation System. 

Example of the cost of UAVs Systems: Example of 2023 Retail Costs (1)DJI Mavic 2 Zoom – Starting Around $1,299, (2) DJI Phantom 4 Plus 2 – Starting Around $2,660, DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Ad – Starting Around $4,500, Autel Eco Dyak 640 T – Starting Around $4,300, and the Parrot Anafi Thermal – Starting Around $7,000

Contractual

Company Specializing in UAVs Operations. The contract Company would Purchase & Supplies; Provide Operation and Management of the Daily Operations, and the Contracted Company Provides: UAVs System; Personnel – Adhere to Department Standards; Liability; Training; 

Adhere to FAA Rules and Regulations, Operational Guidelines, and Maintenance

> DAY-TO-DAY PATROL OPERATIONS <

Mission 

To actively participate in Police Routine Patrol by providing continual assigned directed patrol of designated areas.

Structure 

UAVs Assigned Patrol Personnel

Command Pilot – One Per Shift, Non-Sworn Position, Suggested Retire/Former Police Officer.

Pilot – One Per UAV, Non-Sworn Position, Suggested Retired/Former Police Officer

Maintenance Supervisor ( In-House ) – On Per Department, Non-Sworn Position

One UAV shall be assigned one patrol squad per shift: 

Command Pilot – Oversees all UAVs Operations per shift; Shall report to the Department Shift Lieutenant; Shall provide the Department Shift Lieutenant with Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Reports; Coordinate with the Shift Supervisor on all assigned operations; Coordinate with the Communication Supervisor all assignments assigned and or directed to Pilots; Will direct all Multi Operations involving UAVs; and Oversee care and maintenance of Shift UAVs.

Pilot – Directs the operation of 1 assigned UAV: Shall report to the Command Pilot; Shall coordinate with the Shift Supervisor daily operations; Report to Communication ( in real-time ) of suspicious or illegal activity; Provide the Command Pilot with Shifting ending Activity Report; and Will be responsible for the daily care and maintenance of assigned UAVs                        

> UAVS OPERATIONS <

The Chief Pilot

The Chief Pilot shall be in command of all UAVs during incidents involving Situational Awareness to assist officers on the ground in understanding the nature, scope, and scale of an incident and in planning and coordinating an effective response;

The Chief Pilot shall maintain a Scene Documentation log on each event; and

All deployments of the UAS and flights will be documented on the appropriate log, including but not limited to the name of the deploying officer who authorized the deployment, date, time, location, and reason for implementation.

The Pilot 

Maintain at an operational height the continuous patrol of a designated area;

The Pilot in charge of a designated UAVs patrol area shall conduct aerial views of Street, Neighborhoods, Businesses, Parks, and all locations within the designated area in a systematic and orderly fashion;

UAVs shall be dispatched to all major incidents in and around their patrol area to observe “real-time” happenings while manned units are dispatched. Pilots should attend all patrol “Roll Calls.” If necessary or when requested, Beat UAVs shall, under the command of the Command Pilot, be used for the current: Tactical Deployment; Visual Perspective; Fleeing or Eluding Subjects; Scene Documentation; Aerial Photography; Medical Emergencies; Felony Situations; or as directed. The Pilot shall NOT attempt to use the UAVs to apprehend individuals. The Pilot has the final authority to determine whether conditions and circumstances are safe to conduct the flight. When there are reasonable articulable grounds to believe that a UAV will collect evidence of criminal activity and the UAV may intrude upon a reasonable expectation of privacy, police personnel must obtain a search warrant before conducting the flight. Exceptions to the warrant requirement shall mirror that of case law or where missions are taking place in which the exigency to protect the safety of the public negates the practicality of obtaining a search warrant. All deployments of the UAVs and flights will be documented on the appropriate log, including but not limited to the name of the deploying officer who authorized the deployment, date, time, location, and reason for implementation.

> INTEGRATION <

UAVs integrated into the Patrol Squad Operations.

Publish written Directives detailing every facet of the UAVs operations. Provide On-Hands training in procedures and integration of Command Pilot, Pilot, and Squad Members.

Integration at a gradual pace. First as Back-Up Unit Duties and then, after an acceptable “In the Field” integration, Full Patrol Duties

IT IS TIME FOR ALL SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED POLICE DEPARTMENTS TO START USING UAVS IN THEIR DAILY PATROL OPERATIONS TO OFFSET NEEDED “BOOTS ON THE GROUND” AND TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.

Author: Editor of policecallbox.com