1-29-2025 4:21am

DRONES DEPLOYED

Police drones are flying over Maryland. Will state lawmakers regulate them?

By: Capital News Service

A Customs and Border Protection drone is ready for launch in this undated photo. The U.S. military and border officials use drones for border surveillance, but Montgomery County Police have been using drones for more than a year to support patrol operations. (Photo courtesy Customs and Border Protection)

By Paul Kiefer

On an afternoon in mid-January, a Montgomery County police drone tracked a shoplifting suspect as he made his way from a Wheaton CVS to the entrance of a nearby Metro station, where a patrol unit intercepted and arrested him.

Police flight records show that the drone, piloted by officers at a command center in Rockville, then returned to its station on a nearby rooftop to await the next 911 call.

The drone is one of four operated by the Montgomery County Department of Police. The year-old drone response program is the first of its kind in Maryland, with drones stationed in Gaithersburg, Silver Spring and Wheaton. The drones have responded to nearly 2,000 calls since the program’s launch, often reaching the scene before police officers get there.

“We hear the emergency as you’re describing it, and we can just send the drone,” said Cmdr. Jason Cokinos, who leads the department’s drone program. “We’re cheating time.”

Reactions to the program are mixed, with some observers enthusiastic about the flexibility it provides and others concerned about the technology’s privacy implications. This year, Maryland lawmakers are considering regulating the use of drones for police responses before a more widespread adoption of the technology occurs.

Some Maryland lawmakers worry that current state law doesn’t offer clear guidance on how or when law enforcement can use drones as the first or only responders to emergency calls.

The police are operating in a legal gray area, said Del. Robin Grammer Jr. (R-Baltimore County), FINISH READING HERE