After banning DJI and other Chinese drones in Florida for government's use, Florida police department asked lawmakers to lift the ban for law enforcement agencies due to the fact of low quality drones from other suppliers. Drones from other suppliers have caused a car to catch fire, can't fly at night, or even hazardous.
But representatives from local law enforcement agencies told lawmakers in
that drones made by state-approved manufacturers leave a lot to be desired.
“One of our pilots, on his drive home, he heard ‘snap, crackle, pop,’ one of the batteries outside the drone, not plugged in, on the floorboard of his vehicle, caught on fire,” a representative from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.
A representative from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said the approved drones have “limited capabilities,” cannot fly at night and their cameras are “not safe” to use.
Meanwhile, a representative from the Orlando Police Department called the approved drones a hazard.
“In one year and a half we had five failures with manufacturers on the (state approved) list. DJI? None,” the representative said. “That is going to put us in danger, the officers in danger, and the public in danger, when these drones continue to fall out of the sky.”
