WATCH: Special Report on future of drones

consumer drones are a multi-million dollar industry. but enthusiasts say there’s something holding back the roles drones could have in everyday life. krdo newschannel 13’s greg miller looks at the impact they’ve had on business, public safety… and the future of drones in various other facets of life. it’s a story you’ll only see here. drones are taking off now, more than ever. creating opportunities for hobbyists – and for business. 1:15 i picked up one of these phanton iii drones and i’ve been hooked ever since. kris childress just started his own drone fyling company… hoping to make a living off of using drones to take overhead pictures and videos. 2:08 i took plenty of pictures with my airplane. with these things you can pop them up anywhere you want, and fly them. as a commecial pilot, he knows the ins and outs. 1:22 you have to be an faa pilot to operate these drones commercially. and even to operate it for business – he had to get a waiver from the f-a-a. that, was a year-long process. 9:07 i understand the more seriousenss of it, that it’s not a toy. so if they say i can only fly it so high, if i go above it, i’ll lose my pilot license. greg: with rising sales every year, there’s no question there’s an enthusiasm for drones. but with that enthusasm, comes a concern over safety and security. 0:19 yeah, we were on the final flight, 800 to 900 feet, when about 200 feet below us was a drone. the faa reported 764 drone sightings near planes, last year alone. compare that to 238 in 2014. despite f-a-a rules that forbid flying above 400 feet near commercial planes or airports. marcell hirscher, barely escaped injury after a drone came crashing down just inches away. a fall so rapid, the drone broke into pieces. some ski resorts are even banning them. including crested butte – prohibiting drones from any flying over the slopes or recording any video. from flying over snow – to natural disasters drones have been used to capture video like this – a thousand-acre fire in teller county last april. or this sinkhole last summer in colorado springs, showing the depth of the hole that formed and has one street still closed months later. 1:33: since we lost our air support program we’ve been looking at uav’s. colorado springs police admit using drones in their work is appealing. lieutenant dan lofgren ran the police helicopter program until it ended in 2010. 3:11 they’re obviously desireable, you can get them for 5 – 15- thousand. easily deployed. deployed to to give police officers overhead views during crime scenes, or to monitor traffic flow… but the department is hesitant to commit, until the f-a-a completes its list of regulations. and then, there’s the issue of state’s involvement. 8:32 we came real close to seeing the state decide we’d need a search warrant period. that bill failed, but there’s nothing to say it won’t come back. like childress, the department too would need a waiver to purchase a drone. while the possibilities are endless – 12:12 i tell my nephews, my cousins, this is the future. ultimately the rules, will decide how high the drones can fly. drone owners and enthusiasts will tell you the rules need to be established quickly. one million were sold last year alone. endless – 12:12 i tell my nephews, my cousins, this is the future. ultimately the rules, will decide how high the drones can fly. drone owners and enthusiasts will tell you the rules need to be established quickly. one million were sold last year alone. i’ll show you when