Drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), have rapidly transformed policing, particularly tactical operations. Their ability to gather intelligence, provide aerial perspectives for situational awareness, and reduce risks to officers during high stakes searches and arrests has proven invaluable. Not only do UAS enhance safety for officers, but they also contribute to the protection of suspects and property.
Intelligence provided by a UAS operator can eliminate guesswork in critical situations, facilitating more deliberate decision-making and reducing use of force through increased situational awareness for officers.
The widespread success of UAS in tactical operations has led to significant investments in training and spending to expand their use. However, has this heavy focus on tactical advantages created tunnel vision that overlooks the investigative potential of UAS? While the benefits of UAS for uniformed officers are well established, their application to investigative work hasn’t reached its full potential.
The Power of Aerial Documentation in Crash Scenes
Drones have emerged as essential tools in crash scene documentation, offering high-resolution aerial images that provide comprehensive views that are otherwise difficult to obtain through conventional methods. By capturing wide and detailed footage from above, drones document evidence from multiple angles and perspectives while minimizing the risk of contamination and preserving the integrity of the crash scene. Once a crash scene is released, it can never be revisited in the same condition it was immediately after the crash, adding to the importance of recording as many details as possible.
Photogrammetry
Investigators are increasingly utilizing UAS to photograph crime scenes and leverage photogrammetry software to generate accurate, three-dimensional (3D) models. This technology, initially developed for construction and surveying, quickly demonstrated its value in policing by offering new ways to document and analyze crime scenes and major vehicle collisions. These models allow investigators to revisit scenes virtually, observe details from various perspectives, and take precise measurements. This technological edge allows for revisits that save time and reduce the need to disturb the physical scene.
Use of this technology, in some situations, has also been shown to reduce the time it takes to measure a location compared to traditional ground-based laser scanners. However, the effectiveness of these 3D models in communicating evidence to jurors could be limited and difficult to present in a courtroom; therefore, investigators must consider how a large portion of the public prefers to consume information—video.
The Shift Toward Visual Storytelling Through Video
The past decade has seen a notable cultural shift toward visual storytelling and instant information gratification. Modern society’s preference for quick, engaging, and easily digestible content is undeniable. People are accustomed to consuming information through visual means—whether the information is instructional videos, news summaries, or entertainment. The public now frequently opts for video content over traditional text-based reports or sequences of static images.
This trend has significant implications for how the police present evidence, particularly in the courtroom. Understanding this shift and adapting accordingly can enhance how evidence is documented and presented to jurors, improving their comprehension and understanding of sequences of events. Video evidence, captured and edited carefully, aligns with these contemporary expectations, making it a powerful tool for police personnel to convey complex scenes in a more understandable way.
A Game Changer for Crash Scene Documentation
In the past, using video to document a crash scene posed challenges. Video recordings often suffered from instability and poor quality, making them difficult to view and interpret effectively. This led to a preference for still photography, which, while useful, lacks the dynamic and comprehensive nature of video. The evolution of drone technology, however, has reintroduced the potential effectiveness of video. UAS equipped with stabilized, high-resolution cameras have made capturing high-quality video simpler and more cost-effective than ever. A UAS pilot with some simple learned skills can capture objective footage in a medium that jurors are familiar with.
This ease of use opens new possibilities for crash scene documentation, as video provides a richer context and broader narrative than static images. For example, moving footage can show the relationship between various pieces of evidence and the environment in which they are found. This presentation allows viewers to understand details such as spatial relationships and line-of-sight issues more intuitively.
A Valuable Tool in the Investigative Process
Applying UAS videography to active crash investigations offers significant benefits to investigators and prosecuting attorneys. Recording video footage immediately after a crash occurs preserves crucial information from a perspective that traditional ground-based photography cannot capture. Aerial visuals can reveal elements of the crash scene, such as elevation, vegetation, illumination levels, and the urban or rural nature of the surrounding area. These details can influence investigations by providing context and clarifying how a crash unfolded and how a driver’s actions could have been reckless.
Moreover, UAS video can make abstract concepts like distance more relatable for jurors. Understanding distances described in feet or meters can be challenging for some people, but seeing these distances illustrated in a video is often more intuitive. A juror can easily grasp the implications when shown drone footage that follows a suspect’s or witness’s possible path of travel. In traffic collision investigations, drones can capture the curvature of roadways; number of lanes; medians; and potential obstacles like sidewalks, driveways, and intersecting streets that may have contributed to the incident.
Low-altitude drone flights (around 4–5 ft. above the ground) can simulate a driver’s or pedestrian’s perspective as they approached the area of impact, offering unique and valuable insights into potential contributing factors.
Cinematic Techniques to Improve Evidence Presentation
The use of cinematic techniques is not limited to entertainment; it holds a significant place in presenting evidence to juries in a manner that is both informative and captivating. By employing professional filming methods, UAS operators can create videos that look similar to what jurors are used to seeing on television and streaming platforms. This familiarity helps maintain jurors’ attention and makes the content more relatable.
Capturing video in a way that aligns with cinematic storytelling techniques can provide a cohesive narrative that holds a jury’s interest. High-quality, stabilized footage that guides the viewer through the scene can serve as a powerful visual aid, making the facts of the case clearer and easier to understand. High-altitude video can illustrate path of travel, tire marks, debris fields, and the distance they span, while low-altitude videos can show severity of damage to vehicles and property.
These new perspectives can help a juror understand the dynamics involved and change the common opinion that all crashes are accidents and not criminal offenses.
Demonstrative Videos in Court Proceedings
UAS videography’s value extends beyond the initial crash scene and is often used as a key component in trial preparation. Prosecutors frequently request demonstrative video evidence to help clarify facts for the jury, including viewpoints from suspects or witnesses, distances, and environmental conditions at the time of the crash. Revisiting crash scenes to capture additional footage with UAS helps answer these questions, providing a powerful visual tool for courtroom use.
UAS videography can be applied in other investigations as well. One example of UAS video’s utility is in cases involving arrests near protected areas, such as schools. A drone can capture a smooth, orbiting video that visually depicts the distance between a suspect and a school, presenting it in a way that resonates more effectively with a jury than a static map or photo. This effort demonstrates the importance of the case to law enforcement and the thoroughness of the investigation. UAS video has also played a significant role in investigations involving police shootings. While body-worn camera footage is invaluable for capturing an officer’s immediate perspective, it often fails to show the wider context of the scene.
Drone footage provides a bird’s-eye view that supplements body-worn camera footage, revealing the overall environment and any potential obstacles or constraints faced by the officer. In certain cases, UAS footage has demonstrated that officers had limited options for de-escalation or retreat, reinforcing their decisions to use force.
Reenactments Using UAS Videography
In today’s urban environments, video evidence from security cameras and bystanders is often expected to be presented in court. However, when such footage is unavailable, investigators can create reenactments based on verifiable facts using UAS as well as other cameras. Crash reenactments filmed by drones can reconstruct the sequence of events and illustrate critical details such as distances, paths of travel, and speed.
This approach is particularly valuable in major vehicle collisions, where evidence may be spread over a large area. UAS footage can be used to create a side-by-side video of the same vehicle traveling down the same roadway where the crash occurred. On one side of the screen the vehicle is traveling the speed limit, and the other the alleged high speed. This is an example of using the video captured from an elevated perspective to illustrate the difference in speed to a jury. By carefully choreographing a reenactment and filming it from strategic angles, UAS video can tell a compelling story that helps jurors visualize what happened.
This storytelling method is much more impactful than verbal descriptions, static images, or diagrams alone and can convey a large amount of information in a short amount of time.
Custom Video Media for Courtroom Testimony
The integration of video evidence in courtroom proceedings has become essential for presenting a compelling and cohesive case. Custom video compilations that merge footage from body-worn cameras, dash cameras, security cameras, and drones can provide a comprehensive, synchronized narrative that strengthens the evidence. Individual video clips from different devices often create a fragmented story, but an edited compilation bridges these gaps to create a continuous, clear sequence of events.
Video editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve allows for seamless editing of high-resolution footage from multiple sources. These programs offer advanced features that enhance clarity and direct attention to important aspects of the footage. Tools like text overlays, visual markers, and slow-motion segments can emphasize key moments and support the testimony in a legally compliant manner. Some examples for crash investigations use would be highlighting the locations of key evidence like speed limit signs, road hazards, and the area of impact.
However, while editing software makes these capabilities possible, the expertise of skilled video editors is critical. Experienced editors understand how to maintain the integrity of the original footage while enhancing its clarity and impact. They also ensure compliance with legal standards, preserving timestamps and avoiding alterations that could compromise the video’s authenticity. The combination of editing software and knowledgeable personnel results in custom videos that are both impactful and legally sound, helping jurors better understand complex events.
Disseminating Information Quickly to Command
One of the most significant advantages of UAS videography is the speed with which it can be captured and shared. At a crime scene, investigators must balance the need to collect essential evidence with the requirement to inform their chain of command and the public. Drones enable investigators to quickly gather expansive views of the scene and distribute this footage using cloud-based platforms, email, or text.
This ensures that supervisors who may not be physically present at the scene receive prompt and detailed updates. The ability to share UAS video footage enhances situational awareness and supports real-time decision-making. This is crucial not only for police leadership but also for communication with other law enforcement agencies, city officials, and the media. When appropriate, edited or raw drone footage can be shown during press briefings, demonstrating transparency and enhancing public trust.
High-quality video evidence displayed in these contexts shows the public that the police are conducting thorough, responsible investigations.
Affordability
If a department already has some type of UAS program, it potentially already has everything needed to apply UAS crime scene videography to its crash investigations. Most consumer-level drones have the capability to capture high-resolution footage and photographs, bringing the cost to be measured down to the hundreds not thousands of dollars. This makes UAS crime scene videography a very affordable option for departments who want to add to their capabilities.
The Future of UAS in Policing
As the technology behind UAS continues to advance, so too does its potential within policing. Drones are becoming increasingly versatile, with new models offering longer battery life, enhanced stability, higher-resolution cameras, and more sophisticated navigation systems. These improvements amplify the advantages of using drones for crime scene documentation and evidence gathering.
Future applications may include integrating UAS video footage with augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) to create immersive simulations of crime scenes. Jurors could potentially wear VR headsets to explore a 3D-rendered version of the scene, walking through it as if they were present. This approach could provide an unprecedented level of engagement and understanding, giving jurors a clearer picture of the environment and circumstances surrounding the case.
Moreover, the continued development of artificial intelligence may offer even more possibilities for automating the analysis of UAS footage, enabling faster identification of key elements and potential evidence. Such advancements could save time during investigations and enhance the accuracy of findings.
Conclusion
The use of UAS videography in policing is reshaping crash scene documentation, investigation, and courtroom presentations. Drones offer unparalleled visual context, enabling rapid capture and dissemination of critical information and supporting transparency and public trust. Custom, edited videos that combine footage from drones, body-worn cameras, and security cameras create compelling presentations that align with modern, visually oriented audiences.
Through basic video editing and the expertise of experienced personnel, police agencies can bridge the gap between complex evidence and juror understanding. As UAS capabilities continue to evolve, their importance in building stronger cases, supporting the pursuit of justice, and maintaining public confidence in the police will only grow.
Source: Police Chief; Gerald Baum, “UAS Crime Scene Videography: A New Perspective for Crash Investigation,” Police Chief Online, March 13, 2025.