Police Officer Brings Drone Tech Lessons to High School

Columbian High School in Tiffin, Ohio welcomed Officer Stevens from the Tiffin Police Department for a full morning dedicated to drone education, and the visit quickly turned into a hands on exploration of how unmanned aircraft are shaping the future of public safety and logistics, as WFIN reported.

Students in Stacey Geiger’s Intro to Business class walked through the Engineering Design Process as they imagined how drones could serve their community, and Officer Stevens helped guide their ideas by showing them real world hardware already used by the department.

To give students a deeper understanding of what modern drone technology can do, the department brought two very different aircraft, the lightweight DJI Avata 2 and the professional grade DJI Matrice 30.

The contrast between both drones helped students see the difference between recreational FPV style flying and enterprise operations used in police and emergency response missions.

The DJI Avata and DJI Matrice 30 Bring Technology to Life

The DJI Avata gave students an up close look at a compact FPV drone that is designed for agility, stability, and safety. Its small frame, ducted propeller guards, and immersive first person view controls make it an excellent aircraft for demonstrations in tight spaces.

The Avata 2 uses a 1/1.3 inch CMOS sensor capable of capturing crisp 4K video, and its vision positioning sensors help keep the drone steady even when satellite reception is weak. As students watched it maneuver, they could immediately understand how pilots use this style of drone for dynamic flying, indoor navigation, and creative problem solving.

The DJI Matrice 30, however, introduced them to a very different category of aircraft, one that law enforcement and emergency teams all over the world rely on during real operations. The Matrice 30 carries a powerful integrated camera system that typically includes a wide lens, a zoom lens, a laser rangefinder, and a thermal imaging sensor.

This combination allows operators to locate missing people, monitor large scenes, inspect infrastructure, and make critical decisions from a safe position on the ground. The drone offers up to forty one minutes of flight time, operates in heavy rain or high winds, and is built to stay stable in demanding environments. It is the type of drone that makes search and rescue missions more efficient, faster, and significantly safer for responders and victims.

Seeing both drones side by side gave students a glimpse into the range of possibilities within the drone industry. They were able to compare a nimble FPV platform with a rugged enterprise system, and many were seeing for the first time how drones are transforming public service, emergency response, and commercial operations in communities like their own.

A Strong Partnership Between Police and Education

The ongoing collaboration between Columbian High School and the Tiffin Police Department continues to show how effective it can be when educators and public servants work as a unified team.

Classroom activities become more relevant, students gain exposure to emerging career paths, and the department strengthens its relationship with a generation that will soon enter the workforce.

Officer Stevens demonstrated how drones are used for scene documentation, strategic response, and community safety, and the students were able to ask questions that connected their classroom projects to real operational needs.

Supporting the Next Generation of Innovators

Chief Pauly shared his appreciation for both Officer Stevens and teacher Stacey Geiger for creating opportunities that encourage curiosity, innovation, and community engagement. Programs like this help students build confidence in their ideas and give them a clearer vision of how technology can shape the future of their city.

By opening the classroom to real equipment and real expertise, the Tiffin Police Department is helping inspire future engineers, drone pilots, and problem solvers.

DroneXL’s Take

Bringing professional drones directly into a classroom is one of the most effective ways to spark interest in aviation and robotics. Students already absorb technology quickly, and when agencies take the time to show them real equipment like the Avata 2 and the Matrice 30, they light a pathway toward careers they may have never considered.

More police departments should be doing exactly this, because the next innovation in emergency drone operations might come from a student who first discovered the potential of unmanned flight during a morning lesson at school.

Photo credit: Tiffin Police Department