Drones

Many police departments in North Texas own several drones that they use for a variety of situations. Below are the various departments that are known to have them. Many departments state that they will be used in a limited fashion; however, this is self-reported and needs to be verified through FOIA requests.

Arlington PD: Own two small helicopters (stated here to be used in only very specific situations such as crime scene photos). However, they also operate 12 drone aircraft which are used in SWAT operations to catch fleeing suspects.

Hurst PD: Equipped with thermal imaging cameras. If the link goes offline, original document can be found here.

North Richland Hills PD: Also equipped with thermal cameras.

Irving PD: Department states they will not be used for surveillance purposes; however, they are used for a variety of situations including tracking fleeing suspects.

Fort Worth PD: Used them during Covid-19 to enforce social distancing among the homeless.