New Berlin Police Department adds drones

NEW BERLIN, Wis. - Drones are becoming a more common tool for law enforcement. The New Berlin Police Department is the latest to add drones to the team.

The New Berlin Police Department has a new set of eyes.

This is what the police station looks like from the view of one of their new drones.

"To think that we have this resource now is just, it’s really good for us, both for the officers to be safer and then to have this resource for the community," said Sgt. Brad Polczynski, New Berlin Police Department.

The program launched June 15. The department bought two drones, each for around $8,500.

The New Berlin Police Department joins a growing list of agencies that have added drones to their toolkit.

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Last week, the Milwaukee Fire Department used theirs to search for three people who fell in a drainage tunnel.

In March 2021, the Franklin Police Department used its drone to find a toddler missing in Grobschmidt Park.

Shooting at the Roundy's warehouse in Oconomowoc

The Western Lakes Fire District also added drones in 2021. They were used during the shooting at the Roundy's warehouse in Oconomowoc.

With more and more police departments having views from the sky, the New Berlin Police Department wants to assure people they are keeping privacy in mind.

"We have a lot of respect for the privacy of our citizens, so we’re never going to be using the drones to randomly spy on people," said Sgt. Polczynski. "We’re not interested in doing that. We want to use these to help the community out." 

New Berlin has eight officers trained to fly the drones. It took about six months of planning and training to get the program off the ground.