ADVOCACY
Limiting Drones Jeopardizes Police and Community Safety
Right now, some state lawmakers are considering bills that would gut law enforcement drone programs. These bills threaten to jeopardize recent progress integrating drone technology into operations, enabling law enforcement to save thousands of lives – both civilian and officers.
Goal Number One: Protect Police and Community Safety
During emergencies, keeping First Responders safe is a top priority. Drones are essential because they assess hazardous environments, reducing the risks for human teams to enter unsafe areas.
For example, in active shooter situations, drones provide real-time intelligence to law enforcement, helping officers plan the best approach while minimizing risk.
Combining officers and the public, drones have been credited with saving over 1,000 lives through various emergency operations.
Eight More Reasons Drones are Critical
1
Rapid Deployment
Drones can be deployed quickly to assess situations, providing real-time data to first responders before they arrive on the scene -- crucial in time-sensitive emergencies.
2
Aerial Surveillance
Drones offer a bird's-eye view of an area, assessing large-scale incidents such as natural disasters, fires, or search and rescue operations, aiding in planning and executing rescues.
3
Access to Hard-to-Reach Areas
Drones can navigate areas that may be difficult or dangerous for humans to reach, such as collapsed buildings or hazardous environments, like floods or areas affected by chemical spills.
4
Thermal Imaging
Drones equipped with infrared cameras can detect heat signatures, aiding law enforcement in locating individuals who may be trapped under debris or lost in remote wilderness areas.
5
Communication Support
Drones can facilitate communication between responders and individuals on the ground during emergencies, even in areas where infrastructure is damaged.
6
Environmental Monitoring
Drones assist in evaluating active hazards such as wildfires, floods, and chemical spills, facilitating the development of more effective containment strategies.
7
Search and Rescue Operations
Drones can quickly cover large areas that might be inaccessible or dangerous for human responders due to debris, unstable structures, or hazardous conditions.
8
Enhanced Safety
Drones are flown into structures where armed and barricaded suspects are lying in wait and provide pivotal intel to tactical teams prior to sending a human tactical operator inside. They often avoid lawful, but unwanted use of force situations.
Don’t Limit Drones!
Challenge:
Some state legislatures are considering limiting foreign-manufactured drones, thus requiring law enforcement to rely on inferior and/or expensive products that would jeopardize police and the community.
Right now, law enforcement frequently deploys small drones for under $2,000. If foreign-manufactured drones are eliminated, police agencies will likely resort to larger drones that cost $80,000 (5-year subscription).
Both the larger size and greater cost will restrict law enforcement with less drones that can successfully enter fewer areas (such as through windows).
Remedies:
Though no specific evidence exists, critics claim that foreign-made drones may maliciously provide data to our adversaries – including China. Consequently, the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directed a U.S. national security agency to determine if the drones are a risk. The law specified the study be completed by December 2025.
Pending Drone Risk Study
1
Foreign-made drones used by U.S. law enforcement agencies operate with robust security features that include isolated data operations without internet connectivity. This means that it is much harder for a hacker to gain access to the drone and take over its controls. The robust, air-gapped software is compliant with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards and other US cyber security standards.
Air-Gapped, U.S.-Designed Software
2
LEDA is technology-agnostic and does not promote one company over another. U.S. drone manufacturing can be on par with foreign counterparts, but until it is, laws and regulation should not require law enforcement to use inferior products that endanger officers and the community.
Increased U.S. Manufacturing Capacity
3
Conclusion:
Regulators must refuse restrictive regulation that hinders competition and innovation. Instead, lawmakers should allow law enforcement agencies the flexibility to select technologies that best meet their crime-fighting needs, recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective.
Drones in Action
Missouri
In November 2023, the Eureka Police Department reported a hit-and-run crash, with reports that the suspect had fled the scene with a gun in hand. Police deployed a drone into the suspected area he fled and managed to find the suspect and apprehended the suspect.
Support From Law Enforcement
We hear the emergency as you’re describing it, and we can just send the drone. We’re cheating time.
Look at where we are now, what we’re doing with drones. To keep from having to put a firefighter or law enforcement person in harm’s way is remarkable.
Not only does the drone respond quicker, but it provides our officers with critical information to help them do their job. It keeps our officers safe. It keeps the community safe. And to some extent, it keeps the suspect safe, because we’re getting real time, real information for our officers to respond in an appropriate way for specific crimes.
Drones have been proven to bring violent situations to a calm and orderly resolution where no one is hurt—that’s our ultimate goal. With this technology and the proper training, instantaneous life-changing decisions don’t have to be made, drones let us take our time, slow the momentum down, and let the individual make the decision on how the situation will go. At the end of the day, drones are replaceable, people aren’t.
