Roanoke Police Department Drone Program Policy

We the Watchers has obtained and published the Roanoke Police Department’s operational directive governing its Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) program. The policy outlines how police drones may be deployed, who may operate them, training requirements, data retention procedures, and reporting obligations.

Key Findings

Approved Uses Are Broad

The policy authorizes drone deployment for:

• Search and rescue operations
• Crime scene photography
• Accident reconstruction
• Hazardous materials incidents
• Major disasters
• Fire scenes
• Tactical operations
• Storm damage assessment
• Mapping and survey flights
• Other missions approved to preserve public safety and welfare

Visual Line of Sight Required

Pilots must maintain visual line of sight with the drone unless the department obtains a specific FAA waiver authorizing operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

Night Operations Restricted

Drone operations are limited to daylight hours unless an FAA waiver authorizes night flight and the aircraft is equipped with appropriate anti-collision lighting.

Operations Outside City Limits Authorized

Roanoke’s drone team may operate outside city boundaries when providing mutual aid or responding under extraterritorial agreements with other agencies.

Documentation Requirements

The policy requires:

• Physical documentation of all drone flights
• Flight records maintained by the Program Coordinator
• Digital documentation of all flights within the Skydio Cloud management system
• Annual reporting on drone deployments and mission types

One notable provision requires the Program Coordinator to maintain:

“physical documentation of all drone flights and associated statistics.”

Data Retention and Storage

The policy states that:

• Training flight recordings are retained for at least 60 days.
• Recordings connected to investigations, litigation, or court proceedings are retained according to Virginia records retention schedules.
• Drone media is stored within cloud-based evidence systems.
• Video release decisions require review and redaction where applicable.

Transparency Provisions

The directive contains a dedicated transparency section requiring the department to:

• Inform the public where department drones are authorized to operate.
• Keep the public informed regarding the drone program.
• Produce an annual report documenting:
  • Number of deployments
  • Incident types
  • Results of drone usage during operations and investigations

Questions Raised

The policy references records that may exist beyond the document itself:

• Annual drone program reports
• Flight logs and associated statistics
• Mission documentation
• Training records
• FAA waivers and authorizations
• Drone deployment records maintained within Skydio Cloud

These records may provide additional insight into how frequently the program is used and for what purposes.

Source Record

Roanoke Police Department Operational Directive 2.1.5 – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), effective May 20, 2024.