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State police say drone deployments surged; committee opts to keep annual drone reporting
Summary
Sergeant Michael Anderson told the Senate committee that state police logged about 160 drone deployments last year and assist local agencies; the committee agreed to continue annual drone-use reporting and reassess the statutory review in several years.
Sergeant Michael Anderson of the Department of Public Safety testified that the agency’s fleet supports crash reconstruction, search-and-rescue, tactical operations and local requests, and that drone usage has grown in recent years.
Anderson told the committee that ‘‘Last year, state police, we had 160 drone deployments,’’ and that other agencies report smaller deployment counts (Burlington recorded about 18 deployments in the 2025 report). He described uses ranging from crash-scene mapping and missing-person searches to SWAT-team tactical reconnaissance and first-responder staging in rural areas.
Committee members asked whether local agencies can borrow drone equipment; Anderson said the state police operate the largest fleet and assist local and county agencies upon request. Members signaled concurrence with the House position that statutory drone reporting continue annually, with a plan to reassess the requirement in a few years as technology evolves.
What’s next: the committee will incorporate the House recommendation into its amendment language and revisit the statutory review date in conference.
