Police departments increasingly see drones as tools for search and rescue, crash reconstruction, tactical operations, and Drone-as-First-Responder programs.
But the technology has another side: What happens when the suspect has a drone too?
Reuters reported that the U.S. Army is testing counter-drone technologies along the U.S.-Mexico border as criminal organizations increasingly use inexpensive commercial drones for surveillance connected to smuggling and human trafficking. During the preceding 30-day period, the military reportedly detected 378 drone incursions, primarily involving commercially available aircraft equipped with cameras (Stone & Seligman, 2026).
The systems being evaluated include radar, interceptor drones, detection technology, and other counter-UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) capabilities.
This remains primarily a military and border security issue.
Police chiefs should not assume that their departments need military-grade counter-drone systems tomorrow.
But they should pay attention to the underlying capability.
An inexpensive drone can let someone observe a police staging area, monitor officers serving a warrant, identify perimeter positions, follow police vehicles, move contraband, or conduct counter-surveillance from a location where the operator cannot easily be seen.
The Department of Homeland Security already recognizes unlawful drone activity as an emerging public safety problem. DHS is developing portable Remote ID capabilities intended to help law enforcement identify drones and their operators around public buildings, critical infrastructure, stadiums, airports, and large gatherings (Department of Homeland Security [DHS], 2025).
The federal Center for Domestic Preparedness also offers law enforcement training covering drone detection, identification, tracking, threat assessment, evidence preservation, and response to unsafe or unlawful UAS activity (DHS, 2026).
That raises a practical question for chiefs: Does your agency have a plan for a drone you don’t control?
Officers should know:
-Who is notified when a suspicious drone appears?
-Can the agency identify its operator?
-What evidence should officers preserve?
-What legal authority does the department actually have?
-When should federal aviation or other authorities become involved?
Departments have to recognize that the aerial environment is becoming part of policing.
Police leaders spent the last several years asking how departments should use drones.
The next question may be harder: How should departments respond when someone uses a drone against them?
–Klyvorek & OpenAI
KLYVOREK helps law enforcement professionals strengthen report-writing skills through realistic fictional scenarios, self-paced practice, and AI assistance. The officer provides the facts. KLYVOREK builds the draft. The officer reviews, refines, and improves it.
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References
Department of Homeland Security. (2025). Remote drone identification. Science and Technology Directorate.
Department of Homeland Security. (2026). Drone assessment and response tactics (DART AWR-407). Center for Domestic Preparedness.
Stone, M., & Seligman, L. (2026, October 5). U.S. Army tests counter-drone tech at Mexican border as cartel drone use rises. Reuters.
