2024 Police Annual Report

SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM

In 2016, the Orland Park Police Department (OPPD) became one of the first municipal police departments in Illinois to receive Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) authorization to operate a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) in national airspace for law enforcement operations. The department now has 19 F.A.A. licensed sUAS pilots who work among all shifts and are capable of flying the drones at any time, day or night.

In 2020, these operators gave a virtual presentation to a national audience about the OPPD sUAS program at the request of the F.A.A.

The OPPD had 23 drone deployments in 2024, which reflects a 45% decrease from 2023. In these deployments, OPPD sUAS operators located three suicidal subjects, six suspects who fled from crashes or traffic stops and four subjects with diminished mental capacity. Operators assisted neighboring agencies in searches for suspects of vehicular hijackings, stolen cars and robberies. OPPD hosted a class for drones used in accident reconstruction to re-certify our pilots as well as two neighboring agencies.

62 | POLICE ANNUAL REPORT

ORLANDPARK.ORG