Chinese-made drones grounded due to state regulations

Polk County law enforcement agencies have been forced to ground their drones because of recent changes in state law, shelving thousands of dollars in technology and leaving all now relying on one source for aerial support.

Florida banned state and local government entities from using drones made by companies in “countries of concern” starting April 5. The list of countries includes China, where one of the world’s largest drone manufacturers, DJI Technology Co., is based.

“When the new law came into effect, the Lakeland Police Department had seven DJI brand drones. All were grounded,” LPD spokeswoman Robin Tillett told The Ledger via email.

Lakeland police had issues with several of the drones, including a battery pack overheating and a couple of crashes, according to Assistant Chief Hans Lehman. He said LPD had chosen not to replace the damaged units given the pending legislation.

Winter Haven Police Department stopped using its three drones in January, according to agency spokeswoman Jamie Brown. Lake Wales Police Department’s single drone has been removed from use, Chief Chris Velasquez said.

None of the agencies has purchased replacement units to date, though Lakeland and Winter Haven said both are considering it. Uncertainty surrounding the new state regulations, high costs and changes sweeping through drone industry are causing many to hold back.

“We were just in a holding pattern this year,” Lehman said. “We weren’t going to invest money not knowing what was going to happen.”

The Florida Police Chiefs Association had some discussion about whether to seek a waiver to keep using DJI’s equipment, Lehman said. The drone maker was added to the U.S. government’s economic blacklist in December 2020, as Reuters reported.

Winter Haven officials are waiting to see whether the state’s new statute would see further changes, Brown said.

For now, Lakeland, Winter Haven and Lake Wales have said they plan to rely on the Polk County Sheriff’s Office when in need of aerial support.

The Sheriff’s Office had purchased several DJI drones, models Mavic Pro Platinum and DJI Matrice 210, since starting its program in January 2018, PCSO spokesman Scott Wilder said. In anticipation of the state’s new regulations, Wilder said the Sheriff’s Office sourced and purchased American-made drones, though he would not provide specifics on the brand, model or how many. The replacement drones cost $290,000.

The Sheriff’s Office’s old DJI drones will be auctioned off on GovDeals.com, a liquidation-services marketplace that helps government entities sell off surplus items. Wilder said he expects the drones to be listed by next week.

There were 10 DJI drones being auctioned off through GovDeals.com as of Wednesday afternoon. The auction prices ranged from $12 to more than $3,500 per unit based on the model and accessories.

Investing in new drones off the state-approved list of acceptable manufacturers could prove costly for law enforcement, Lehman said, especially when one wrong move can crash and do significant damage to a $20,000 drone.

Lehman said he’s seen a lot of Drone Company’s move to offer a subscription-based service, much like they do with other technological equipment, including body cameras and tasers. This may allow agencies to invest in having their own drones without the steep upfront cost, but also more tech support and repairs for damaged equipment.

Until then, the three agencies will look to the Sheriff’s Office when possible or turn back to the use of helicopters or K-9 units. Drones were originally touted as a less costly substitute for these methods in 2018, but much has been learned since then.

“If you are going to get a drone program going and really offset what a helicopter can do, you have to spend quite a bit of money,” Lehman said.