Pueblo Police Department taking to the skies with Drones

Drones seem to be the future of law enforcement and the Pueblo Police Department announced it will add two drones to the force.

The department announced it is currently bidding on the drones and are in the early phases of the project. Deputy chief Chris Noeller says he and others are looking forward to testing them out, “The technology is unbelievable the uses we can have for it.”

Fountain Police are the first in the region to use drones and now Noeller says they will use that same technology to catch the bad guys, “To search backyards, fields, down by the river, with suspects that are hiding. It’s a dangerous situation as recent circumstances have shown.”

One of the big advantages of a drone on the force is having an eagle eye view of a scene police are investigating. However, there are plenty of concerns regarding privacy in residential neighborhoods, which is something police know is a big issue for people. Privacy is not the only problem, drones can’t usually fly for more than 20 minutes and in scenarios where police need to be quiet they are not the best. Also, strict FAA guidelines on when and where a drone can fly. Noeller says they are working through these concerns, “We anticipate to adapt and change the program as we move forward but we are excited about the opportunity to field this technology.”

At this time Colorado has no state laws against law enforcement drones. Some states ban police from using drones.