Drones cleared for takeoff in Virginia, but law enforcement agencies aren’t ready

Virginia law enforcement agencies can begin using drones, but don’t expect the skies to be filled with police-piloted quadcopters just yet.

The few agencies that own unmanned aircraft systems said they weren’t ready to put the technology to use as the state’s 2013 moratorium on drones ended at midnight Tuesday. Officers are still refining piloting skills and learning about legal implications — the laws require police to obtain search warrants authorizing such use.

“Each law enforcement agency is trying to get their heads around what they can do and the costs and what they need,” said Rose Mooney, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, a research consortium studying drone use at Virginia Tech. “None of them have stepped forward to say they are ready tomorrow.”

Drone laws enacted this year make Virginia the 12th state to require warrants for their use by law enforcement and allow other government agencies to use the unmanned aircraft systems to survey damage from natural disasters, monitor traffic conditions or help fight wildfires. Private use of drones was already allowed under the moratorium.

Virginia State Police and some other agencies say they have no plans to pursue drone use, but others are open to the technology.

Virginia Beach Police Department, along with other government agencies in the 450,000-plus population city, are researching uses of the technology, said Officer James Cason.

“Currently, the research is going toward looking at after-action reviews of events such as a natural disaster, like severe storms that come up the coast,” the police department spokesman said. “It’s a new technology. There are a lot of issues that have to be discussed and addressed. Not to mention the cost.”

Even in rural Wise County, where the sheriff’s office has kept two quadcopter drones under lock and key since their purchase in February 2014, there aren’t any immediate plans to put the devices into the air.

“I would want them to have some more experience before turning them loose to use it for a search warrant,” said Sheriff Ronnie Oakes.

He said he hopes private instructors will be able to provide additional training by September.

Sheriff Oakes last year questioned whether his deputies, with a search warrant, could fly the drones to survey property, noting the usefulness of getting a bird’s-eye view of mountainous terrain. A legal opinion from the Virginia attorney general in October confirmed that the practice was prohibited under the moratorium, which banned government agencies from flying drones except in searches for missing children or senior citizens, for research purposes by universities, and by the Virginia National Guard.

Law enforcement agencies that plan to pursue drone use would have to obtain permission from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership has held two sessions this year offering an introduction to drone technology explicitly for law enforcement and emergency responders. The April class was filled with firefighters and emergency responders from various agencies across the state, including the Chesapeake and Newport News fire departments, according to a roster of attendees.

Among the hurdles for agencies looking to fly drones, cost may be the most prohibitive, said Dana Schrad, executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.

“I don’t believe we will see a huge shift in state and local law enforcement acquisition and deployment of drones due to the lack of available equipment funding resources,” Ms. Schrad said.