KSP offering law enforcement course for drone operation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky State Police is now offering a training course for drone operators who work in law enforcement.

The course focuses on how to use an Unmanned Aeronautical System (UAS) — or drone — to forensically map a crash or crime scene. That mapping helps officers document key points of evidence for accurate, three-dimensional measurements.

"This UAS training course gives our law enforcement agencies the ability to keep making the commonwealth's communities safer," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement. "This sharing of information between agencies further demonstrates that enhancing public safety is a top priority we are all invested in."

The relatively new drone technology has "drastically decreased the time officers are required to keep a roadway closed after a severe or fatal collision," thus improving traffic safety, a KSP news release states.

Agencies involved in the course included LMPD, Elizabethtown Police, Frankfort Police, Hardin County Sheriff's Department, and Shelby County Sheriff's Department.