On Tuesday, the Camden County Police Department received a $430,000 donation from the Norcross Foundation and NFI Industries to support its drone program. Each organization contributed $215,000, making this the largest private donation in the department’s history.
The police department’s drone program began about six months ago and is used for various law enforcement activities. These include tracking stolen vehicles, managing logistics at large events, monitoring all-terrain vehicles on city streets, locating missing people, identifying illegal dumping sites, and recovering illegal firearms.
“These donations will go a long way for us to purchase the hardware and software for at least two more drones for our program,” said Chief Gabriel Rodriguez. “Having the ability to launch these drones from rooftops across the city is an ideal investment for us and allows us to achieve our objectives without having to borrow equipment from other agencies. These new resources have already been utilized in several situations, assisting us in recovering illegal firearms and intercepting ATVs.”
The Camden County Police Department operates the largest law enforcement drone program in South Jersey. Before this donation, the unit had ten pilots and seven drones. Three of these drones are launched from rooftops throughout the city, which gives officers an advantage during emergencies. The current program is modeled after New York City Police Department’s drone initiative.
Following the check presentation, a demonstration was held at the department’s tactical center.
Camden County provides public safety services as part of its government operations overseen by a board of commissioners. The county serves over 500,000 residents across 37 municipalities in southern New Jersey with programs that include health services and infrastructure maintenance according to its official website. More information about community welfare efforts can be found on their official website.
