Policy

Police Department in North Carolina Has $30,000 Drone Apparently Unused Since 2008

Bought with drug money

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A Charlotte-area police department has found itself in the middle of a growing debate over the use of drones on American soil – even though its drone has done little but collect dust in the last five years.

At issue is a $30,000, 5-foot, radio-controlled "Cyberbug" drone that the Gaston County Police Department bought with drug asset forfeiture funds in 2006 and shelved two years later, saying mechanical problems and increased restrictions made it too costly to fly.