Law Enforcement Drones

Ohio HB 251 is now in effect: make sure your agency’s drone SOP complies. What it requires → · Read the full HB 251 explainer

Source

Sub. H.B. 251, 136th Ohio General Assembly: signed July 7, 2026; effective Oct 6, 2026, with R.C. 5501.84 effective Oct 6, 2030 (Ohio Legislature, legislature.ohio.gov). Codified at R.C. 4561.60–4561.64 (codes.ohio.gov).

Public safety · Law enforcement

Law Enforcement Drones

See the scene before officers commit.

Request a demo
First Responder Owned · Veteran Led
Three ways agencies fly

Trunk. Telepresence. First responder.

Most programs start with a drone in the patrol car and grow from there.

  1. In the trunkAn officer launches in minutes at a perimeter, crash, search or crowd.
  2. TelepresenceThe officer flies. A remote teleoperator runs the camera.
  3. First responderA docked drone launches on the call, often minutes ahead of units.

Source: Motorola Solutions and Flying Lion DFR guide (2023).

Missions

What officers fly for

Zoom and thermal drone views of officers and cruisers at a night traffic stop on a highway, Ohio (Ohio Drone Repair video)
Zoom and thermal at a night stop, Ohio (Ohio Drone Repair video)
Perimeter search · Thermal

Manhunts

Hold the perimeter from above. Thermal picks out body heat in tree lines, yards and fields at night.

Details

The Matrice 4TD carries 640 × 512 radiometric thermal with a 1280 × 1024 UHR mode, per DJI. Ohio H.B. 251 allows drone use without a warrant when exigent circumstances exist (R.C. 4561.62(B)).

Drone overwatch of spectators lining a large outdoor event, Ohio (Ohio Drone Repair video)
Event overwatch, Ohio
Events

Crowd overwatch

Crowd density, ingress and traffic at large events, from one aircraft.

Details

H.B. 251 allows a drone threat assessment before a large or populous event without a warrant (R.C. 4561.62(H)). Flights over people can need FAA approval: FAA waivers & BVLOS.

Night drone view of police cruisers and officers at an intersection under emergency lights, with an illustrative 3D model overlay, Ohio (Ohio Drone Repair footage). Plates blurred.
Scene documentation at night, Ohio. 3D model overlay is illustrative. Plates blurred.
Mapping · Scene reconstruction

Crime scene documentation

One mapping pass becomes an orthomosaic and a 3D model you can measure for the case file.

Details

H.B. 251 allows drones to photograph and record evidence at a crime scene without a warrant (R.C. 4561.62(E)). Log the flight data and keep it with the case (R.C. 4561.64).

Crash scene investigation at night, Ohio. Plates blurred.
Crash scene mapping

Accident reconstruction

Map the scene in one pass, take measurements for the report from the model, and reopen the road sooner.

Details

The Zenmuse L2 lidar reaches 4 cm vertical accuracy at 150 m, per DJI. H.B. 251 allows drones to examine the scene of a vehicle accident without a warrant (R.C. 4561.62(D)).

De-escalation

See the scene before officers commit. A drone that arrives first can show what’s really there, so units slow down and make a plan.

SWAT and barricades

Rooftop, perimeter and interior views. See tactical drones for close quarters.

Ohio law · H.B. 251

H.B. 251 is now in effect.

Since Oct 6, 2026, Ohio law sets rules for how law enforcement agencies fly drones. Here is what it requires. Read the full HB 251 explainer.

  1. Warrants for interiorsR.C. 4561.61If entering a house or place in person would need a search warrant, so does flying a drone into it or looking into it with one. Drone data gathered without that warrant is not admissible in a criminal case, unless a listed exception applies.
  2. Warrantless uses, listedR.C. 4561.62Drones may be used for surveillance without a warrant only as the law lists:
    • Border patrol within 50 miles of a national border
    • Exigent circumstances, including evidence at imminent risk of destruction
    • Before, during or right after an environmental or weather catastrophe
    • Vehicle accident scenes, traffic congestion and traffic enforcement that needs no warrant
    • Photographing and recording evidence at a crime scene
    • Nonintrusive flight in navigable airspace to see what is visible to the naked eye
    • Collecting information in a public area on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity
    • A threat assessment before a large or populous event
    • Research, education, training, testing or development with a school, college or collaborator
  3. No weapons, no private surveillanceR.C. 4561.63An agency may not use or permit a drone armed with a lethal weapon. It may not permit one private person to surveil another by drone without the express, informed consent of that person or of the property owner.
  4. Flight recordsR.C. 4561.64Document all flight data for every surveillance flight (planned and actual flight, duration, path and mission objectives) and verify it is accurate and complete. Keep flight and surveillance data relevant to an investigation, trial or litigation until it is no longer needed.
  5. Discovery and public recordsR.C. 4561.64An accused person can obtain drone data about them through subpoena and discovery; operational capabilities and security details are excluded. Required flight and surveillance data are public records under R.C. 149.43 unless an exemption applies.
  6. 2030 purchase ruleR.C. 5501.84, from Oct 6, 2030Ohio public entities may not buy or acquire, spend state funds on, or fly drone systems made or assembled by a foreign adversary on the Ohio Secretary of State’s registry and bought on or after that date. It does not apply where federal law or regulations allow continued purchase and operation. Drones bought before that date are not covered, so current fleets can keep flying.

Check your SOP

0 of 9 done

Your ticks stay in this browser only. Nothing is sent to us.

Questions about your drone program and H.B. 251? Email gov@ohiodronerepair.com or send us a note.

Contact us
Sources
  • Ohio Legislature, Sub. H.B. 251, 136th General Assembly: signed July 7, 2026; effective Oct 6, 2026; certain provisions effective Oct 6, 2030.
  • Enrolled act, Section 3: R.C. 5501.84 takes effect 48 months after the act’s effective date.
  • Ohio Revised Code 4561.60–4561.64 and 5501.84 (codes.ohio.gov).
  • News: Police1, “New Ohio police drone law stipulates warrant requirements, exceptions” (July 2026); cleveland.com via GovTech, “Ohio Bill to Set Statewide Rules for Law Enforcement Drones” (Sept 16, 2026).

Planning summary, not legal advice. Confirm your SOP with your agency’s legal counsel.

DJI Avata 2 FPV drone, front view (image: DJI)
DJI Avata 2. Image: DJI.
Tactical drones

Small drones for close quarters.

For interior, close-quarters and building-clear work.

DJI Avata 2

FPV drone, approx. 377 g. 1/1.3-inch 12 MP camera with a 155° field of view. 4K video at up to 60 fps (4:3) or 100 fps (16:9). O4 video transmission, 24 ms lowest latency with DJI Goggles 3. Approx. 23 min max flight time. Vision positioning faces down and back. Per DJI.

DJI Neo 2

Approx. 151 g, with full-coverage propeller guards. Omnidirectional vision sensing plus forward-facing LiDAR (0.3–8 m) and a downward infrared sensor; DJI lists indoor flight among its uses. 1/2-inch 12 MP camera, 4K at 60 fps on a 2-axis gimbal. Approx. 19 min max flight time (17 min with guards). Wi-Fi control as standard; optional O4 Digital Transceiver for a remote controller or goggles. Per DJI.

Inside a building and H.B. 251

Flying into a house or place, or looking into one, needs a search warrant whenever entering in person would (R.C. 4561.61). Exigent circumstances are an exception (R.C. 4561.62(B)). Write both into your SOP.

DJI aircraft and Ohio’s 2030 rule

From Oct 6, 2030, Ohio public entities may not buy, spend state funds on, or fly drones made or assembled by a foreign adversary on the Ohio Secretary of State’s registry and bought on or after that date (R.C. 5501.84). Check the registry before you budget. NDAA & Blue UAS guide.

Specs from DJI’s Avata 2 and Neo 2 spec pages (retrieved Oct 2026). Ask us about current availability.

DJI Dock 3 marked POLICE in the bed of a Garfield Heights Police pickup between police SUVs (Ohio Drone Repair video)
Garfield Heights PD, Ohio

A dock in the truck bed.

Drive to the incident, park, level and fly.

Rules

Before you fly

Ohio H.B. 251

Now in effect. See what H.B. 251 requires.

Someone else’s drone over your scene

Local police have no federal authority to jam, hack or down a drone. Identify the operator, ask for registration and certificate, document, and hand it to your FAA Law Enforcement Assistance Program agent. Remote ID sensors help with the first step: Pierce Aerospace.

Beyond line of sight

Police departments of a city, county or township usually qualify for the Part 91 public-safety BVLOS waiver. FAA waivers & BVLOS.

Federal grants

Some grants limit which aircraft you can buy. NDAA & Blue UAS guide.

Platforms

Platforms we sell and support

Drone as First ResponderLaunch on the 911 call. Video to crews before units arrive.DFR programs →DJI Dock 3Docked Matrice 4TD that launches, lands and charges itself. Roof or truck.Dock 3 →Vantage RoboticsBlue UAS Cleared Trace and Vesper. Made in USA, with EO and LWIR thermal.Vantage →ACSL SOTENNDAA compliant, made in Japan. Swappable cameras, including 640 × 512 radiometric thermal.SOTEN →Pierce AerospaceRemote ID and ADS-B sensors. See drones over your scene and where their pilots are.Pierce →HERABackpack multicopter. Carries up to 30 lb. Out of the pack in under 60 s, per RtR.HERA →FAA Waivers & BVLOSWhich waiver fits your agency, and what goes in the package.Waiver paths →

Specs and compliance status are the manufacturers’ own; see each page for sources. NDAA & Blue UAS guide.

Dispatch video wall with live drone feeds (Ohio Drone Repair video)
Contact

Plan your program

A demo, a site walk, and a plan for the waiver, the policy and the budget.

Plan a program
First Responder Owned · Veteran Led

gov@ohiodronerepair.com · Buying on a PO

Ohio Drone Repair is a dba of Ohio UAV Services LLC, 2236 N Cleveland Massillon Rd, Akron, OH. Trademarks belong to their owners. Specs are the manufacturers’ own, under their test conditions; figures are as reported in the sources named. Not legal advice or an FAA authorization. Photos and video are Ohio Drone Repair’s own unless credited.