Use of unmanned aircraft systems by law-enforcement officers; search warrants; model policy. Expedites the issuance of a search warrant for unmanned aircraft systems by law-enforcement officers upon a finding of reasonable and probable cause by an authorized judicial official as defined in the bill. The bill permits the use of unmanned aircraft systems without a search warrant when law enforcement is surveying the scene of a crime or to respond to a public safety call for service when such crime scene or call for service is located on public property, to locate a person when such person has fled the offense location during the initial response to an incident, or to provide real-time aerial observation to increase on-scene safety and security. The bill also requires that the Department of Criminal Justice Services establishes a model policy for the use of unmanned aircraft systems by December 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 19.2-60.1
Courts of Justice Substitute: 9.1-102, 19.2-60.1