Baltimore to acquire police drones

The city council of Baltimore, Maryland, has approved the purchase of three DJI police drones for $38,152.

The drones will be used by the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) for a mixture of operations, including the gathering of evidence at crime scenes, conducting search and rescue missions, and the performance of aerial surveillance during high-risk operations – such as police raids and active shooter or barricade situations.

It follows the completion of a 30-day community feedback period that began on 6 July on BPD’s plans to employ drones for crime scene management and tactical situations.

BPD also currently receiving deliveries for a fleet of three Airbus H125s from Metro Aviation – the second of which was delivered in July.