Aeryon Labs Sky Ranger
Michigan State Police have become one of the first law enforcement agencies in the nation to receive authorization from the Federal Aviation Authority to use unmanned aerial systems, commonly referred to as drones, in police operations, reports mlive.com.
It's been conducting training flights with the FAA's permission since February of 2014.
State police purchased an Aeryon SkyRanger in September of 2013 that will be on display for media at the Michigan State Police Training Academy located at 7426 North Canal Road in Lansing at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
"Potential missions include search and rescue, crime scene and crash investigations," a statement from state police said.
State police tested the aircraft for one of the first times since receiving certification on March 4. Pilots flew the device over a fire investigation near Jenison, located southwest of Grand Rapids, and "collected both video and photographs of the structure to help investigators determine the origin and cause of the fire."