Chinese-made drones used by some Florida law enforcement agencies grounded under new state law

LAKELAND, Fla. - Drones used by law enforcement agencies and fire departments across the state are being grounded.

"With no drones, we’re back to figuring out which direction we want to go," Assistant Chief of the Lakeland Police Department, Hans Lehman, told FOX 13.

A new state law that is now being enforced prohibits agencies from using Chinese-made drones, such as DJI, which is one of the most popular brands.

Lawmakers were concerned that with all the high-tech surveillance these days, the Chinese government could use drones to gather sensitive information.

LPD used seven drones to help capture suspects, check out crash scenes from above and for other purposes. Bigger agencies are losing more.

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The Polk Sheriff’s Office will not give an exact number, but just said it lost the use of all its drones.

Law enforcement using drones for surveillance 

But, only for a short time. The agency quickly went to plan "B."

"We bought American," said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd. "And there is great news anytime you buy American."

Now, LPD and other Polk County agencies have to decide whether to continue to rely on the sheriff’s office for drone coverage, which means it could be a slightly longer response time depending on where the drone is needed.

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They could also buy a new fleet, which would be costly, or lease drones, which would cost even more.

Sheriff Judd is taking it all in stride.

"We provide air support [helicopters] for all the cities, and now we’re going to provide drone support as well," said he said.