08 February 2023- As police departments move into the 21st Century they are looking to increase their arsenals and bag of tricks to better serve communities. The Hagerstown PD has already rolled out drones to great effect in ensuring safety around train tracks and to follow illegal ATV riders. All drone pilots are sworn police officers that are FAA certified.
The police department has continued to reach out to the public to show how they are using this new technology. Full release from HPD is available below, as well as a video showing the effectiveness of their drone program.
In recent months we have purchased drones to aid us on a variety of police related matters. We were recently able to use one to locate a suicidal male that made his way on to the train tracks. We were able to locate him, move him to safety and connect him to mental health services.
In addition to person searches, future use of our drones include:
Crime and accident scene documentation
Evidence Location
Incident Management
Active Pursuits
Dirt Bike rider location and identification
Drone operators must take and pass a course to receive an operator’s license from the FAA. Courses are held at the Hagerstown Regional Airport.
We look forward to implementing this new technology and wanted to share a portion of it with the public to help understand how it will be used.
