Highway Patrol becomes first state agency approved to use drones
Patrol UAVs will use specialized commercial software to map accident scenes through both photos and video, improving safety for first responders, adding new details to investigations and ultimately allowing for faster road re-openings.
“One of the things that we’re highly motivated to do when we’re out on a crash scene, because we know we’re impacting the public, is to open up the crash scene faster,” Marek said.
Initially the agency will have three UAVs assigned to commands in Elko, Las Vegas and Reno.
The drones were purchased through a $10,000 federal grant awarded to the state Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.
The Metropolitan Police Department has been exploring the use of drones in Las Vegas for about 18 months but has not finalized policy and funding to put them into everyday use. Contact Raven Jackson at rjackson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @ravenmjackson on Twitter.