Richland Police Add Drones to Arsenal, Already Busy [VIDEO]

There are two of them, and Richland Police say they've already been used in a couple of cases.

RPD adds drones to their toolbelt

The department did not specify the exact models but said they have two, each with different purposes.

Franklin County was the first law enforcement agency to utilize them, their program began a couple of years ago. Now, Richland plans to have them available for use anytime 24-7. Franklin County started training officers in March of 2019.

In order to legally fly a drone, especially a larger model, the pilot is required to complete what's called a Part 107 FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) training course.

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According to the FAA and droneblog.com, over 244,000 operators have been licensed this way. Part 107 refers to operating a drone that is less than 55 pounds.

You may not know that even a non-commercial pilot is 'expected' to take the FAA course, there is no differentiation between private and commercial drone use.

Much of the reason for the FAA to increase it's drone pilot requirements is because over the years there have been dozens of incidents where pilots flying drones near airports, especially at night, have had close calls with commercial arliners.

Richland's video is below.