On Tuesday, the Camden County Police Department accepted a $430,000 donation from the Norcross Foundation and NFI Industries to expand the department’s new drone program. This marks the largest donation ever received by the CCPD, as both entities have given the department $215,000 each to help the department purchase new equipment.
The CCPD’s drone program was operationalized about six months ago and provides the department and officers with eye-in-the-sky support in a variety of situations. The drones have been used extensively in tracking stolen vehicles, managing large event logistics, trailing all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to get them off city streets, locating missing people, identifying illegal dumping, and recovering illegal firearms.
“These donations will go a long way for us to purchase the hardware and software for at least two more drones for our program,” said Chief Gabriel Rodriguez. “Having the ability to launch these drones from rooftops across the city is an ideal investment for us and allows us to achieve our objectives without having to borrow equipment from other agencies. These new resources have already been utilized in several situations, assisting us in recovering illegal firearms and intercepting ATVs.”…