Louisiana police department acquires long-range drone
Police in Baton Rouge, in the US state of Louisiana, plan to eventually operate the drone at a range of up to 100 miles
Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) has unveiled a new drone – a Stalker VXE30 – bringing its drone fleet to 31 units.
Police said the drone, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is capable of flying up to 400ft (122m) – the maximum altitude permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The drone is also restricted to an operational range of 30 miles (48.3km) – however, the Department is working with the FAA to eventually increase the permitted range to 100 miles.
The drone is also equipped with a thermal camera, and can be flown for a period of approximately four hours without recharging.
Speaking to local news outlet WBRZ about the acquisition, BRPD Police Chief TJ Morse said that the Department was the first in the country to operate a drone of this type. The VXE30 is more commonly used for long-range surveillance in military situations, rather than law enforcement.
The move to acquire a longer-range drone was driven in part by BRPD’s shift away from helicopters, due to a fatal crash in 2023 which claimed the lives of two police officers.