June 4, 2014

Seattle police gift two drones to Los Angeles Police Department

‘Relocate the asset where there’s a need’ but ‘No money changing hands,’ says FEMA

Written by Shawn Musgrave

Edited by JPat Brown

Last week, the Los Angeles police department announced that they had acquired two Draganflyer X6 drones as a gift from the Seattle Police Department. This makes LAPD easily the largest municipal police department in the country known to own unmanned aerial vehicles.

A subsequent records request fulfilled on May 20 revealed emails between SPD and the Department of Homeland Security, which funded the $82,000 purchase of the two drones in September 2010.

Read the full story over at Motherboard, and follow our updated requests to SPD, LAPD and federal officials regarding the handoff.

Read the release embedded below, or on the request page.

Image via KCPQ