NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Officials with the New Orleans Police Department announced a plan to start using drone technology and are asking the public for feedback.
NOPD officials said the use of drones will help the department with tasks like grid searches, weather events, disaster response, accident reconstruction and more while also serving as a force multiplier and crime-fighting tool.
They said the drone technology will also offer a safer way to document scenes and simultaneously take photos, as well as “aerial documentation that present a true and accurate representation of the scene for investigators.”
NOPD officials said drone flights will follow the Federal Aviation Administration and NOPD guidelines.
They said NOPD officers using the drones will receive training on FAA guidelines.
NOPD officials said the department is seeking feedback from the public on a draft of the “Unmanned Aircraft Systems” policy, which you can read here: https://nola.gov/getattachment/NOPD/Policies/Chapter-43-5-Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems-Drones.pdf/?lang=en-US
They said the policy will take into account input from the Department of Justice and the Federal Consent Decree Monitors.
NOPD officials said a community event for residents will be held on Nov. 28 to offer a better look at the drone technology the NOPD will be using. The event will start at 6 p.m. at the NOPD Training Academy on Paris Avenue.
Residents will have until Dec. 1 to submit feedback to the NOPD. Feedback can be sent to policyandplanning@nola.gov.
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