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CLEVELAND, Ohio — When anglers around the East 55th Street Marina heard a splash Saturday, they alerted authorities. A 6-year-old had disappeared under the surface of Lake Erie, and a Cleveland police drone — among a newly deployed fleet that took flight about one year ago — hit the skies.
It aided in what became a grim discovery: the body of a boy who was reportedly playing on a marina break wall. He was found around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, along with a shoe that was confirmed to be his.
Police spokesman Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz said the technology allowed officers to search areas much more quickly than they could from the ground.
“We can’t swim across the lake as quickly as a drone can move across the lake,” Diaz said.
It’s one of several examples of how the city’s police have used drones, which have added to a slate of advanced technology in the department, including ShotSpotter devices and Flock license plate reader cameras.
The department’s drone program resumed last year after nearly a year on hold while officials worked with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Cleveland Community Police Commission to finalize a policy governing how the technology can be used. Police had temporarily grounded the drones following concerns they were improperly used during a 2024 pro-Palestinian protest outside the home of Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne.
Diaz said the final policy was reviewed by both the Department of Justice and the Community Police Commission before taking effect.
The department currently has nine Skydio X10 drones and seven FAA-certified officers trained to operate them. The drones are equipped with thermal imaging and high-resolution cameras, allowing officers to assist with searches, crime scene documentation and emergency incidents during the day or night and in adverse weather conditions.
Under the department’s policy, drones cannot be used for routine surveillance or at the discretion of individual officers.
“This is not just an officer feels like throwing up a drone today and wants to ride around and record people,” Diaz said. “It doesn’t work that way.”
Instead, drones may be deployed for specific public safety purposes, including mass-casualty incidents, disaster response, missing person searches, hazardous material incidents, armed or barricaded suspects, hostage situations, searches for dangerous fugitives and certain search warrants involving violent suspects. The chief of police may also authorize their use as part of security plans for large public events.
Whether a drone is deployed depends on the circumstances of an incident, Diaz said. During emergencies, officers and supervisors can authorize a flight if the situation falls within the policy. If the circumstances are less clear, supervisors consult the chain of command before approving its use.
“There are a lot of gray areas in law enforcement,” Diaz said. “If we’re not sure if the drone is allowed or authorized in a particular case, then there’s a chain-of-command process to make sure we’re using it within that policy.”
Only officers who have completed specialized FAA training and certification are authorized to pilot the aircraft.
“They have to have certain licensures to use a drone,” Diaz said. “I can’t just grab the drone and fly it.”
The operators are trained not only in federal aviation regulations but also in using the drones effectively during police operations.
To increase transparency, the department’s policy requires flight information to be uploaded to a publicly accessible online dashboard within 48 hours of each deployment. The policy also prohibits officers from using personal drones, outfitting department drones with weapons or facial recognition technology, and generally bars their use to monitor First Amendment-protected demonstrations unless there is probable cause of criminal activity that meets constitutional standards for a warrantless search.
But that’s not all. The state codified additional regulations this month.
Earlier this month, Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law House Bill 251, which requires law enforcement agencies to get a warrant before using drones to collect evidence in cases where a warrant would otherwise be required. The law sets new privacy limits on drone surveillance while allowing exceptions for emergencies, searches for missing people and other urgent situations.
Cleveland’s drone program is one of several technologies the city’s police have adopted in recent years as the department continues to deal with staffing shortages while investigating violent crime.
While some residents and civil liberties advocates have expressed concerns that drones, ShotSpotter and Flock cameras could disproportionately increase surveillance in some neighborhoods, Diaz said the department’s focus is on using technology responsibly.
Diaz acknowledged that officers, like anyone else, can make mistakes. But he said the department’s policies are designed to ensure the technology is used only for legitimate law enforcement purposes and in accordance with constitutional protections.
“That’s why we have these policies in place,” Diaz said, “to ensure that all the technology is used within the guidelines of the Constitution.”
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