Allentown, PA – The Allentown Police Department received a much-needed upgrade to their small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) equipment. On June 28, 2024, The National Public Safety Drone Donation Program (NPS-DDP) donated a DJI AVATA V1 drone to the department, marking the 55th donation facilitated by NPS-DDP.

What: On May 6, 2024, the Allentown Police Department, located at 425 Hamilton St, Allentown, PA, applied to NPS-DDP.org for a drone donation. The department emphasized the crucial role that updated drone technology plays in protecting the communities they serve.

Details: “Our current sUAS equipment is outdated and increasingly challenging to maintain, with support from manufacturers no longer available. We need to upgrade to continue providing critical services to our community,” the Allentown Police Department stated.

Since its inception, the department’s sUAS program has been instrumental in various operations such as search and rescue, documenting crime and accident scenes, and providing surveillance during tactical situations for officer safety. However, the technology has advanced significantly since they purchased their existing equipment. Modern sUAS devices offer enhanced camera resolutions and stability.

“In a recent case, we struggled to document a large-scale fatal car crash due to poor low-light performance of our existing sUAS equipment. This underscored the need for updated technology, which would have enabled us to capture clearer images for investigative purposes. By obtaining a grant or donation for new sUAS equipment, we aim to ensure we can continue our work effectively and improve our community’s safety,” they explained.

Mark Langley, CEO of NPS-DDP, highlighted the importance of such donations: “We are pleased to see companies of all types making donations in support of the NPS-DDP mission to help put ‘Eyes In The Sky For Every Department In Need™’. The generosity of these donations cannot be underestimated, as this hardware provides life-saving value in the hands of those who work tirelessly to protect and serve their communities. It also offers tremendous economic benefits in saved man-hours. We encourage private citizens and companies to recycle any unused UAVs back into service. If any of the drones we receive are not suitable for public safety, we partner with Women And Drones to donate them to STEM programs across the country, benefiting youth education.”

This drone donation will undoubtedly enhance the Allentown Police Department’s ability to respond to emergencies and conduct vital operations, providing a critical resource for their work in the community.