A closer look at the Vancouver Police Department’s drone unit

In 2018 theVancouver Police Department started its program using drones, or remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS).

Last year their 20 drones flew 1,826 missions.

One of their drones was critical in capturing murder suspect Brendan Colin McBride, accused of killing a man in downtown Vancouver in September 2024 and of slicing off another person’s hand.

McBride was found on Habitat Island. The drone got there first.

0:37 Drone helps rescue 3 skiers lost in the dark near Sun Peaks

“We were able to get a silent but live feed of the island at all times and we were able to keep visuals for those outside of the island to understand how the arrest was taking place,” explained drone pilot Sgt. Dan Cameron.

Every mission requires a pilot and a spotter. Video is streamed back to an operational command centre.

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About five per cent of the recordings are preserved, and the VPD says those must be connected to a crime.

So far none of that footage has been used in court.

2:09 Drone technology helps B.C. search and rescue

Supt. Don Chapman said the video “generally paints a very accurate picture of what has transpired.”

“And those will often not go before a court or before a judge,” he said.

One of their drones was used to help find a missing person at UBC.

They’ve also been deployed near protests. The VPD says drones provide situational awareness and inform deployment.

But critics have expressed privacy concerns.

“Their policy does say that they’re not supposed to be using them for general surveillance purposes and yet we know there are members of the community who do worry that they’re being used for surveillance purposes,” said B.C. Civil Liberties Association director Meghan McDermott.

The VPD says it has strong policies concerning privacy and there have been no breaches.

“We are not interested in looking in people’s windows or anything like that,” Chapman said.

“We answer 700 calls for service a day and these pilots are incredibly busy.”