Worcester police say drones were used nine times in quarter for recruitment, investigations and safety

Deputy Chief Davenport of the Worcester Police Department told the City Council Public Safety Subcommittee that the department's small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS, commonly described as drones) was deployed nine times during the most recent quarter for a mix of community outreach, training and investigative support.

"We were tasked with, providing a quarterly report for the unmanned, also known as drone, equipment that we use. So we had 9 incidents where we used the drone," Davenport said in his presentation on Communication 4A. He described uses that included filming recruitment videos, providing community policing demonstrations at a charity baseball game, overhead photography of a motor‑vehicle crash on Clover Street, participation in search‑and‑rescue training, overwatch during the execution of a search warrant, assistance to the crime gun intelligence unit during a search, an evidence search on I‑190 after a shooting, a thermal search for a foster child who ran into woods, and support to the fire department at a large brush fire on Greenwood Street.

On the foster‑child search, Davenport said, "the individual the child actually did come out on their own before we actually located the child on that particular, call." He told the committee that in other searches the drone provided aerial awareness but that subjects were sometimes located by other means or surrendered.

Lieutenant Sean Murtha, who also spoke during the item, confirmed recruitment videos using drone footage have been produced and posted: "At least at once. Yeah. They're up," Murtha said when asked whether the recruitment video is available.

Members of the public raised record‑keeping and inter‑municipal use questions. David Webb, a Worcester resident and commercial drone operator, said he had filed a public records request about a specific October flight and sought clarity on whether drone data contributed to a particular arrest; Webb also suggested the department could borrow or coordinate drone assets with neighboring communities. Greg Degamazian, another Worcester resident, commented that UAS technology "enables investigative services to more effectively and efficiently process a crime scene," praising its investigative uses.

The subcommittee accepted and filed the quarterly sUAS report (Communication 4A). The item was recorded in the minutes as "So voted." Committee members also asked for future reporting to include usage comparisons when outside municipalities' drones were borrowed and for more detailed records when available.

The department described the technology's roles as investigative support, officer safety (overwatch at warrant service), forensic documentation, training support and public outreach. The deputy chief said the department is balancing disclosure of operational details with privacy and investigative concerns when producing public reports.

The subcommittee noted the quarterly report and requested follow‑up information in future reports about inter‑municipal drone usage and more detailed records tied to specific incidents when appropriate.