The new DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone recently purchased for the Gardner Police Department made its first appearance at the Community Police Advisory Committee meeting, Monday, September 26.

Corporal Cody Waggoner and Officer Justin Weathers showed the differences between the new drone and their older drone the Maverick 2 Prise. “It’s 800 times better and quieter,”Waggoner said.

Waggoner said the original drone was their first affordable drone with night vision and “entry level for law enforcement.”

The police department began their drone program April 2019 and have flow. 28 missions to locate juveniles, suicidal subjects and people fleeing from law enforcement. The purchase of the new DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone with additional accessories was approved at the September 6 City Council meeting for $28,848 from the Law Enforcement Trust Fund.

The original drone was purchased for $2,700 in 2019.

Weathers said the thermocamera is the best on the market and the “difference is night and day.”

“You can see someone count on their fingers four miles away,”he said.

The old drone has a fixed camera that can’t be removed. The new drone can sustain 50 minutes of continuous flight without a battery change. “As long as it has batteries it can stay in the air,”Waggoner said. It has two remotes— one for flying and one to operate the camera that has three cameras for wide angle, zoom and night and day thermal.

Waggoner said it can pick up low ambient light.

“It is 100 percent like looking at military grade night vision,”he said.

Waggoner said it can hover in the air to watch certain areas and it is built better for inclement weather compared to the old drone. “It is good for tornadoes,’’Waggoner said. “Wind doesn’t effect the camera, and it has a stabilizer.”

Waggoner said both drones and their benefits and faults, and they will still use the old one for indoor environments especially to “keep an officer safe from ambushes.”

Waggoner said the old one could be “the saving grace” in active shooter situations.

Waggoner and Weathers said they have deployed the drone five times so far and it has found one missing person and one suspect with another agency.

Waggoner said they are partnering with other metro police agencies to loan the drone out and do not charge them. “We want to serve the community as best as we can,”he said. “We love helping other agencies.’