LAPD allowed to use drones as 'first responders' under new program

Citing successes other police departments across the country have seen using drones, the Los Angeles Police Commission said it would allow the LAPD to deploy unmanned aircraft on routine emergency calls. The civilian oversight body approved an updated policy Tuesday allowing drones to be used in more situations, including "calls for service." The new guidelines listed other scenarios for future drone use -- "high-risk incident, investigative purpose, large-scale event, natural disaster" -- and transferred their command from the Air Support Division to the Office of Special Operations. Previously, the department's nine drones were restricted to a narrow set of dangerous situations, most involving barricaded suspects or explosives. Bryan Lium told commissioners the technology offers responding officers and their supervisors crucial, real-time information about what type of threats they might encounter while responding to an emergency.