Drones

The Naperville Police Department uses small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), commonly known as drones, as an additional public safety resource. Drones provide an aerial perspective that can help officers and other first responders support public safety at large events and respond more safely and effectively to emergencies, crimes in progress, and other calls for service.

The UAS team may be deployed for specific public-safety purposes, as outlined by IL law (725 ILCS 167/), including:

  • Locating missing or endangered persons and supporting search-and-rescue operations.
  • Assisting with emergency calls, including locating victims and addressing immediate safety needs.
  • Documenting crime scenes and traffic crashes.
  • Supporting disaster response, damage assessment, and recovery efforts.
  • Inspecting designated buildings or structures at the request of a local government agency.
  • Supporting public safety at routed and special events by monitoring conditions such as crowd movement, traffic, and pedestrian flow.

Drone operations must comply with Illinois law, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and Naperville Police Department policy. Pilots are FAA-certified and participate in ongoing department training and proficiency testing.

Drone as First Responder (Coming Soon)

Drone as First Responder, commonly referred to as DFR, allows a trained drone pilot to deploy a drone in response to qualifying emergency calls when authorized by Illinois law.

When deployed, a drone can provide responding personnel with real-time information about an incident before or while officers and other first responders arrive. Depending on the circumstances, this may help responders locate a victim, identify an immediate safety concern, determine where emergency resources are needed, or better understand conditions at the scene.

DFR is a response tool. It is not a program for random aerial patrol or generalized surveillance. Every deployment must have an authorized public-safety purpose and must comply with Illinois and federal law, FAA requirements, and Department policy.

Additional documentation will be added as the department's DFR program is implemented.