Officers working hostage negotiations, shootings, burglaries and missing people are being helped by the Chattanooga Police Department’s drone unit, which can give a bird’s-eye view of fast-moving, life-or-death incidents.
The Police Department has a multiyear contract for drones with Brinc, a Seattle-based manufacturer that only sells to public safety agencies. Brinc has supplied the department’s drones since July 1, 2023, when the federal government enacted new purchasing rules. Before the new legislation, the department had purchased devices from Chinese-based companies.
Brinc supplies the police with indoor tactical units that can break glass, make real-time floor plans and, with a two-way phone line, open communications between police and people who have barricaded themselves. Outdoor drones, like the ones used to help locate a person who jumped from the Market Street Bridge in September, have thermal cameras and enough zoom to spot details from hundreds of feet away.
Here’s what to know about what those indoor and outdoor drones can and cannot do today.
1. The drone program has grown quickly