Drones
City of White Settlement Drone Ordinance
It is illegal to operate a drone in an unauthorized manner within the city limits of White Settlement or any adjacent area that the department maintains concurrent jurisdiction through an Interlocal Cooperation Agreement, Mutual Aid Agreement, or Shared Services Agreement.
How can I fly a drone legally in White Settlement and the surrounding areas near the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base?
Check out this flyer that has instructions on how to obtain authorization to legally fly a drone.
WSPD Aviation Unit (Drone Program)
The department established its Aviation Unit in 2022. The program became operational in 2023 with additional equipment added in 2024. The department's Aviation Unit is an ancillary duty team assignment with members from the Patrol and Investigations Division assisting with calls for service.
The department is committed to maintaining the highest protections of privacy and safety and follows all applicable local, state, and federal laws. The intent of the Aviation Unit is to enhance WSPD's response to emergency calls for service, mitigate certain routine calls, provide situational awareness to supervisors, and assist in a variety of public safety initiatives. The Aviation Unit can utilize an approved drone during an active response to an emergency or other call for police assistance. All WSPD Officers involved in the Aviation Unit are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as Remote Pilots with an official FAA License.
WSPD policy prohibits Remote Pilots from intentionally recording or transmitting images of any location where a person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as inside private buildings, backyards, or other locations, except when authorized by consent, a lawful search warrant obtained by a magistrate, or in exigent circumstances during an emergency situation. All state and federal laws related to privacy are followed by the Aviation Unit.
City Ordinance Sec. 30357 - Exemptions: This Ordinance does not apply to an Unmanned Aircraft System that is operated by the City, or by any other public safety agency for government-related purposes or public relations in compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations and operated by certified and trained personnel in compliance with City policies.
Chapter 423 Texas Government Code related to the Use of Unmanned Aircraft
Aviation Unit Policy Statement: The Aviation Unit will respect the Constitutional privacy considerations of citizens, and the use of sUAS will be very limited in scope and only used as authorized by the outline described in this General Order. The sUAS program at the White Settlement Police Department may be utilized for event management to broaden awareness of conditions on the ground to safeguard public safety. In addition, the unit may be utilized in a reactive policing manner to incidents. The random use of departmental unmanned aircraft systems in residential areas, solely for the purpose of gathering evidence related to criminal wrongdoing or for any other unauthorized purpose, is prohibited.
Authorized uses of the WSPD Aviation Unit:
- Barricaded Suspect/Hostage Situation
- Active Felony Call in Progress
- Serious Bodily Injury or Fatality Crash Scene (for mapping)
- Felony Warrant Service
- Special Event Management
- Missing Child or Person Cases
- Rescue Operations
- Storm Damage Assessments
- Active Fire Scenes and Damage Assessments
- Hazardous Materials Incidents
- S.W.A.T. High Risk Operations
- Brand Management (Collecting generic city images)
Report for the Use of Small Unmanned Aircraft (Drones)
Texas law (Sec. 423.008) requires law enforcement agencies that operate an unmanned aircraft during the preceding 24 months to post a report regarding the agency's use or operation of unmanned aircraft on the agency's publicly accessible Internet website. This report is required to be filed not earlier than January 1 and not later than January 15 of each odd-numbered year.