WASHINGTON–WIth frequent news of U.S. military drones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, the idea of drones used in American airspace has had a way of sticking in the public’s imagination.
Remotely piloted aerial vehicles have for years been used in search and rescue missions and in conjunction with border patrols—both northern and southern. But the primary use of a drone is still military, said Kevin Gambold, a decorated aircraft pilot and drone operator. Drone use is still on the cusp in the civilian sector, “the problem is, there’s no regulatory environment,” he said.
Generally, the Federal Aviation Administration limits air operations to keep drones away from airports and air traffic, and prohibits use above 400 feet. But drone use is allowed in a wider area with a “Special Airworthiness Certificate—Experimental Category,” which is the only certification a civil drone operator can obtain. Additionally, operators can obtain a “certificate of waiver or operation,” for special situations, which allows them to fly in civil airspace. In these circumstances, the drone must remain within sight of the operator or some kind of “chase” observer, and other restrictions may also apply.
In short, drone use is limited. In most places, it’s just not legal to launch a drone from an airport, which drastically reduces the kind of situations in which it can be used.
But sheriffs and police departments have shown increasing interest in drones, which can be cheaper and can respond more quickly than a manned airplane or helicopter.
They have “considerable benefits,” Gambold said
Heather Benjamin, public information officer for the Mesa County Sheriff’s office in Colorado, would certainly agree. The sheriff’s office has used an unmanned drone for two years now, and Benjamin said for them it was the issue of “safety and speed.”
“The drone has been put up very quickly,” compared to an airplane, she said, “and there’s no issue of pilot safety.”
In Mesa County, unlike elsewhere in the U.S., the drone operators are able to use it all over the county. This is in part because of the efforts of the sheriff’s office quartermaster, who spent a long time researching other applications for certificates of operation. The quartermaster really focused on “minimizing the opportunities for the FAA to say no,” Benjamin said, though it helps that Mesa County is much less densely populated than other areas where drones are used.
But drones have a way of capturing public imagination.
A January Washington Post report told the tale of a 2007 “secret drone air show for dozens of officers,” held a hidden location almost 100 miles from Houston. Houston’s KPRC-TV recorded video of the test, and a short time later the Houston police department admitted that they had been considering purchasing a drone for use in their operations.
The drone was to be going to be provided to the city free of charge because, “we were going to evaluate its use in an urban environment,” said Houston Police Spokesman Kese Smith. But no agreement was reached, he said: “the HPD and the city of Houston does not have drones, does not use drones.”
It’s also been reported that Maryland’s Queen Anne County Sheriff’s Office has used drones, but they don’t currently use them either, said Public Information Officer Dale Patrick.
While sheriffs and police are definitely interested, an increase in domestic drone use will ultimately depend on the FAA regulations. And even though there are a lot of groups working to loosen those regulations, “it’s all out on a 2020-2015 timeframe,” Gambold said.
