photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Police Department

An Autel Evo II, left, and a DJI Mavic are pictured here. The Lawrence Police Department purchased several commercial-class drones after the Lawrence City Commission approved their use in October 2021.

The Lawrence Police Department recently began deploying a new tool in combating crime: the unoccupied aerial vehicle, more commonly known as a drone.

While most of us are familiar by now with what drones do — primarily they are used to take photos and videos — the department wants residents to know what they don’t do.

“They do not carry any sort of weapon nor do they have any facial recognition capabilities or anything of that sort,” LPD’s Major Adam Heffley said.

Heffley is the commander in charge of LPD’s drone program and helped draft the city’s policies that guide the department as to how and when to use the technology. He said LPD purchased several devices after the Lawrence City Commission approved those policies in October of 2021.

The department first used one of its drones during a foot chase of a domestic violence suspect in March.

A video released by the department on Facebook shows the thermal night vision capabilities of the drone as it follows the suspect through a dark wooded area. The suspect can be seen alone in the woods as police close in on the edges of the screen. The drone never loses sight of the suspect while officers in the area are limited to the line of sight provided by their flashlights.

photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Police Department

In a thermal image taken from the Lawrence Police Department’s new drone, police can be seen surrounding a suspect who is spread-eagled on the ground after a night-time chase.

“The devices can be extremely helpful in searching for people, making sure an area is clear of hazards, and provide situational awareness during large events,” Heffley said.

The drone takes only a few minutes to deploy after an officer licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration runs safety checks and verifies any airspace restrictions, Heffley said.

As previously reported by the Journal-World, Lawrence Police have had assistance from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office’s drone to investigate fatal car accidents and assist in pursuits, but the suspect captured in March marks the first time the department has used its own device.

In addition to an FAA drone pilot license, officers are required to take advanced drone-piloting and night-flying lessons, Heffley said. Fourteen officers have completed the training so far.

The department has multiple drone models, including the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced, which costs $6,500 each, and the Autel EVO II, which costs a little less at $5,600, said drone team leader Sgt. Drew Fennelly. The department will soon be adding a larger model called the Autel Evo II Enterprise at a cost of $7,000 each, he said. The Enterprise models of both the Mavic and the Autel have a spotlight and a speaker.

“We currently have 13 deployable UAVs and hope to eventually have one ‘launch ready’ for each FAA-trained pilot and have the ability to cover all patrol shifts,” Fennelly said.

The cost of each drone used by LPD is significantly cheaper than the single device that the sheriff’s office uses. The sheriff’s office previously told the Journal-World that it used a DJI Matrice 300RTK, which, with its associated equipment and extra parts and batteries, costs about $28,000.

“Our anticipated operational needs led us to the conclusion that we would be best suited initially purchasing multiple smaller devices,” Fennelly said.

The department also took into account that the sheriff’s office had the industrial class Matrice 300RTK and it could coordinate with that office if it needed the additional support that its commercial-class drones could not provide, Fennelly said.

“We have only begun to explore the combined potential. As we move forward, we are excited to see how agency coordination, not only with (the sheriff’s office), but all Douglas County law enforcement, fire and public safety agencies, can lead to safe outcomes for everyone,” Fennelly said.

photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Police Department

A thermal image from a drone deployed by the Lawrence Police Department shows the celebration on Massachusetts Street on April 4, 2022, when KU won the NCAA Basketball Championship. The department said it used three of its 13 drones during the celebration.