New Orleans Police To Use Drones To Offset Shortage Of Officers

Detailed of a high-tech drone with large sensors and multifunctional camera,Close-up horizontal image

Photo: Sergafa / iStock Editorial / Getty Images

The New Orleans Police Department plans to help offset an understaffing problem by launching a drone program later this year.

At a press conference earlier this week, NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said a drone can make it to the scene of a call faster than a police car.

The police department has 913 officers and 62 recruits, well short of Kirkpatrick's target of 1,200.

At Monday's City Council meeting, the ACLU objected to the NOPD's use of drones, saying police could watch people who don't know they're being watched.

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