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How do you use UAVs in law enforcement? • Survey results

A few weeks ago Blue Line began collecting responses to its survey on drone use in Canadian law enforcement agencies. While we didn’t have a large number of participants, we believe we still discovered some interesting and helpful findings.

Participants were asked three multiple-choice questions and provided a space to add any additional comments. They were asked if they were interested in attending a demo or learning session with OmniView Tech, the UAV company that sponsored Drone Week.

Results will be archived on Blue Line’s Drone Week microsite.

Question 1: What is the most popular use for your law enforcement UAV?
Search and rescue – 21.43 per cent
Collision reconstruction – 35.71 per cent
Investigating active shooter threats – zero
Crime scene analysis – 14.29 per cent
Surveillance – 14.29 per cent
Crowd monitoring – 14.29 per cent

Question 2: When did your law enforcement agency begin using an UAV system?
This year – 42.86 per cent
Sometime over the past 12 months – zero
Sometime over the past 24 months – 28.57 per cent
About 3-5 years ago – 14.29 per cent
About 5 years ago – 14.29 per cent

Question 3: In your opinion, what is the biggest concern with UAV systems being utilized in law enforcement today and in the future across Canada?
Price tag – 6.67 per cent
Privacy concerns – 40 per cent
Licensing and regulations – 26.67 per cent
Technology continuing to develop/change at rapid speed – 26.67 per cent

Additional anonymous comments from respondents:
“I am a retired officer of the Edmonton Police Service and am now in education supporting justice programs. I am interested in how I can support the competence and knowledge with UAVs and technology required for those being recruited to police agencies as a training provider.”

“Good tool.”

“Excellent tool with unlimited potential.”

Thank you to OmniView Tech for sponsoring Drone Week and to everyone who participated in this survey.