Los Angeles updates police drone policy
The rule changes will allow police in the US city to conduct a wider range of missions using the remotely piloted aircraft
The city of Los Angeles, California, has updated its policies to allow police to use drones in more situations.
The Los Angeles Police Commission has approved an updated policy for law enforcement drone operations, allowing the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to deploy uncrewed aircraft on routine emergency calls.
This includes “calls for service”, as well as high risk incidents, investigative purposes, large-scale events, and natural disasters.
Alongside the updated policy, the commission transferred command of LAPD’s drone fleet from the Air Support Division to the Office of Special Operations.
Prior to the changes, LAPD’s nine drones were restricted to a limited set of situations – such as sieges and bomb threats.
The city of Pattaya, Thailand recently announced plans for a new police drone fleet.