The New York Police Department (NYPD) announced last week the agency will be launching an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program, which will be comprised of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, and the licensed NYPD officers in the Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) who will operate them.
TARU provides specialized investigative equipment and tactical support and enhances investigations through surveillance. This includes providing crucial live video to incident commanders during ongoing emergencies.
The drones will be used in specific situations such as during hostage crises, a hazardous material incident an inaccessible crime scene, or a search-and-rescue mission.
Drones will not be used for routine patrols, traffic enforcement, to immobilize suspects or to search without a warrant.
“As the largest municipal police department in the United States, the NYPD must always be willing to leverage the benefits of new and always-improving technology,” Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill said. “Our new UAS program is part of this evolution – it enables our highly-trained cops to be even more responsive to the people we serve, and to carry out the NYPD’s critical work in ways that are more effective, efficient, and safe for everyone.”
The NYPD joins more than 900 state and local police, fire, and emergency departments nationwide that use drones.