Chatham-Kent police are planning to further expand the use of their aerial drone after it was deployed more than twice as often by officers in 2024.
According to a report coming to the Chatham-Kent Police Services Board this week, the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Unit was deployed to 258 incidents last year, an increase of 101 per cent over 2023.
Officers with the unit were able to utilize the drone on several occasions to support the intelligence unit, bail compliance, warrant apprehension, and auto theft units.
The report to the board states that a collective decision was made late last year to further expand the drone program. This included training three additional operators and the purchase of an indoor drone, allowing for enhanced officer safety during tactical entries and serving warrants. There are now seven trained drone operators in the UAS Unit.
Moving forward, the UAS Unit will be training additional operators to ensure that each platoon within the Community Patrol Branch has designated personnel that can operate the drone. The expansion is expected to further integrate drone technology into daily policing efforts.
