The Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Metropolitan Division, Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) recently used a small UAS for the first time during a barricade incident involving a robbery suspect.

On Jan. 9, a specialized small UAS pilot (SWAT officer) used a UAS to find the third suspect of an armed robbery that occurred at a convenience store the night of Dec. 13, 2018.

While searching for the third suspect, Metropolitan Division police officers went to an apartment where they believed the suspect was located as a result of investigative techniques that they were implementing. The suspect refused to exit, though, and officers and detectives believed that the suspect could be armed with a firearm, which led them to requesting SWAT.

During a standoff that lasted approximately nine hours, the LAPD's specialized small UAS pilot used the UAS to find the suspect who was hiding in a second-floor apartment. SWAT also used several types of communication strategies, as well as tear gas, during the stand-off with the suspect. 

After the tear gas proved to be ineffective in flushing out the suspect, the UAS was flown outside of the windows of the suspect's apartment, but the UAS did not see the suspect. Although the UAS did not see the suspect, the suspect, who had been hiding in the attic space of his apartment, was eventually located and taken into custody by officers without any further incident.

“The ability to use a sUAS in certain situations is an important tool for SWAT, and allows officers to gather critical information that can mitigate high risk situations,” the LAPD says.

This was the first time that the LAPD used a small UAS since the approval of a pilot program that began last year that allows the department to use this technology. The department hopes to use this technology to de-escalate dangerous situations, while enhancing its commitment to the preservation of life.

With a commitment to transparency and constitutional policing, the LAPD says that it plans to make the video footage captured by the small UAS during the operation available to the public.