Portland Police share drone data
(OCTOBER 12, 2023) Portland Police have started using drones last summer. The drones have a special name. Police call them "unmanned aerial systems".
Recently they shared information about how often drones have been used. Up until October 9, 2023, Portland Police used drones in 22 situations. On average, they used two drones each time.
Most of these drone missions happened on the east side of the Willamette River. Ten were east of Interstate 205.
These drone missions were for different purposes:
Seven were for urgent situations.
Seven for search warrants.
Five for traffic-related issues.
Three for training.
Police had asked the city council for $80,000 to buy 12 drones. These drones are currently being tested for a year. They are used in cases of major accidents and tactical events. The police released this information after a request. However, instead of sharing detailed reports, the police provided a "dashboard" (a page with only data).
Manfield, Lucas. “Portland Police Bureau Has Sent Drones to 22 Calls.” Willamette Week, 11 Oct. 2023, www.wweek.com/news/courts/2023/10/11/portland-police-bureau-has-sent-drones-to-22-calls/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
“Portland UAS Call Statistics | Portland.gov.” Www.portland.gov, www.portland.gov/police/open-data/uascalls. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
Image from portland.gov website