New police drone for Sparta, New Jersey
The town of Sparta, in the US state of New Jersey, has acquired a new drone for use by its police department
The drone, which has a 200X zoom lens camera with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) capabilities, will be used by the Sparta Police Department to track fleeing suspects and search for missing people.
It can be used to provide first responders with an aerial view of accidents and natural disasters, and is expected to reduce the use of more expensive aerial surveillance options, such as police helicopters.
The aircraft also features a public address loudspeaker, a spotlight, and a laser range finder capable of locking on to targets and giving GPS coordinates to officers.
The city of Geneva, Illinois, approved the purchase of two of its own police drones in November 2023.