Redmond police celebrating ‘monumental’ decision by FAA that approves drone use on more 911 calls

Will this help ease the strains in a state with police staffing shortages? Chief Darrell Lowe believes so.

REDMOND, Wash. — The Redmond Police Department has a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving: the Federal Aviation Administration granted them a highly sought-after waiver that will allow them to deploy drones on more 911 calls.

“It reduces our staffing by 50%,” said Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe. “I don’t have to have an observer watching the airspace around our drone, and it allows our pilot to operate wherever we have cell phone coverage.”

As long as Lowe has one pilot-certified police officer available to

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