LMPD wants to double its police drone fleet

Late Saturday night in Louisville, a burglary suspect ran out of Doss High School, likely betting on darkness, distance, and a little winter chaos to break contact with police. That bet collapsed almost instantly, because an officer on scene launched a drone, and the sky politely refused to look away, as WAVE 3 reports.

Within moments, the drone revealed the suspect’s exact location, recorded the arrest from above, and even helped officers spot evidence deliberately hidden in the snow. No guessing, no wandering search patterns, just clean information delivered from overhead.

For Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Paul Humphrey, the incident was more than a successful arrest. It was proof that the department’s growing reliance on drones is no longer experimental, it is operational.

From promising tech to daily policing reality

“This is just absolutely taking off for us,” Humphrey said this week while speaking to local media, clearly comfortable talking about drones as standard equipment rather than futuristic add ons.

LMPD currently operates 14 drones, including the Skydio X10, rotated among a couple dozen officers trained to fly directly from the scene. That matters, because these are not specialty units waiting on standby. These drones launch when officers need them, not when logistics allow.

According to Humphrey, one of the most valuable features of the Skydio X10 for LMPD has been its thermal camera. While obstacle avoidance and autonomous flight get plenty of attention in marketing brochures, it is thermal imaging that consistently delivers results in real world policing.

Thermal allows officers to detect heat signatures through darkness, light cover, and visual clutter, turning hiding spots into highlighted outlines. In the Doss High School case, it helped shorten the search. In other incidents, it has helped eliminate guesswork entirely.

Humphrey wants to double the number of drones to reach roughly 28 aircraft, with the goal of providing 24 hour drone coverage across every LMPD division. That shift would move drones from being a helpful option to a constant presence.

“These are tools for us,” Humphrey said. “These are tools for us to take bad people off the street and do it in a safer way.”

Thermal vision changes the rules at night

That safety argument became especially clear during a January 22 incident involving MetroSafe’s Drone As First Responder program. In that case, a drone equipped with thermal imaging located a shooting suspect hiding behind a bush at night, a tactic that has worked for decades against officers relying only on flashlights and line of sight.

Thermal erased that advantage instantly.

The drone recorded officers and a police dog closing in, guided not by assumptions but by clear, persistent visual data. From a tactical perspective, this is where systems like the Skydio X10 quietly change police operations. Officers approach with confidence, clearer communication, and fewer surprises.

Humphrey emphasized that drones improve safety not just for officers, but also for suspects. When police know exactly where someone is, there is less need for rushed searches, aggressive movements, or high stress encounters fueled by uncertainty.

“These things have happened forever,” Humphrey said. “But to have that added layer of technology that gives us those odds is a very important tool that makes it safer not only for the officers, but it makes it safer for the suspects as well.”

A familiar expansion pattern across US police departments

Louisville’s experience mirrors what is happening nationwide. Departments deploy a small fleet, test it cautiously, then see a few undeniable wins. After that, expansion becomes less about innovation and more about coverage.

Thermal equipped drones like the Skydio X10 accelerate that process. They work at night, in bad weather, and in environments where helicopters are impractical or unavailable. They also arrive faster than patrol units, especially in Drone As First Responder models.

Privacy and oversight questions remain, and they should. But from an operational standpoint, police leadership is increasingly convinced that aerial thermal vision reduces risk rather than increasing it.

When suspects run, hide, or rely on darkness, the advantage no longer belongs to them.

DroneXL’s Take

What makes this story notable is not just that LMPD wants more drones, but that the Skydio X10 and its thermal camera are already framed as mission critical tools, not optional upgrades. Thermal imaging keeps showing up at the exact moments when situations could escalate, and quietly prevents that escalation by replacing uncertainty with clarity.

If Louisville succeeds in doubling its fleet and sustaining responsible use, drones will become as routine as radios, and suspects will need to rethink the idea that night and cover still offer protection.

Photo credit: LMPD, Skydio.