The Concord, California, Police Department (CPD) is launching a new unmanned aerial system (UAS) program thanks to a grant from Marathon Petroleum, a private oil company. The department’s program proposal and acceptance of the $30,000 grant was approved at the Oct. 14 Concord City Council regular business meeting.
The UAS program for CPD will include a total of five drones from Airworx Unmanned Solutions that will provide airborne support for various public safety efforts, including search and rescue, tracking down missing persons and/or hiding suspects, and post-incident crime scene preservation and documentation. In a presentation to the council, Lt. Nick Gartner said the drones will also help free up officers in the department, which is currently understaffed.
