BATON ROUGE — As Mardi Gras crowds packed the streets of Baton Rouge, officers with the Baton Rouge Police Department were watching from above.
Those large parade crowds have always made policing difficult.
Fights erupt. People scatter. Suspects disappear.
Now, police say it’s happening far less thanks to the drones overhead. These devices have now become a regular part of security in Baton Rouge, giving officers a bird’s-eye view of the thousands of people packed along parade routes.
“Limitless eyes in the sky”
Sergeant Dustin Conde, commander of BRPD’s drone unit, says the technology has reshaped how officers handle crowds.
“We’ve used it the past few years. So we use multiple drones, and we use it for multiple reasons. Traffic control, keeping an eye on the parade route, any type of disturbances. We check rooftops for any potential threats. It’s really limitless. Just eyes in the sky,” Conde said.
BRPD currently operates about 15 thermal-style drones. Officers use them daily for calls ranging from suspect searches to suspicious activity checks. For major events, the department deploys larger drones designed for longer flights and wider coverage. That includes one aircraft with a 16-food wingspan.
“We can use (the large drone) for more long range and be in the air longer to keep eyes on things that we’re looking for,” Conde explained.
Police say drone coverage is now standard at major Baton Rouge gatherings, including Mardi Gras parades like Spanish Town and the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day parade.
“So any parade, any run, any type of event that happens in Baton Rouge, there’s going to be drones there,” Conde said.
Real results during Mardi Gras
The technology isn’t just for show. During recent Mardi Gras parades, BRPD drones:
- Directly assisted with four arrests related to fights
- Helped identify a felon in possession of a firearm
- Identified seven incidents of unrest, guiding officers before situations escalated
- Guided emergency personnel to two parade-goers needing medical attention
Conde says one of the biggest advantages is preventing suspects from blending into large crowds.
“In the past, because of the crowds, the suspects who start these fights would get lost. Every single fight that was captured on our drones, we were able to guide officers directly to the suspects. Not one person involved in fights got away this weekend,” Conde said.
Beyond arrests, drones are also helping police spot problem areas.
“We were able to locate certain intersections that were being overrun by pedestrians getting too close to the floats. Now for next time, we know where to put metal barricades and how to make it safer for everybody,” he added.
Not a Replacement for Officers
Despite the expanded technology, BRPD says drones are a support tool, not a substitute
“You’re never going to replace officers’ boots on the ground. The more officers on the ground, the safer people are,” he said. “This is just a tool to assist officers that are on the ground to cover way more ground than they can see.”
Drones can relay information about fights or disturbances, but officers still have to physically respond.
“Drones aren’t going to do anything other than relay information. You still have the huge need for officers to respond,” Conde said.
Technology expands beyond Baton Rouge
The drone expansion isn’t limited to Baton Rouge.
In Iberville Parish, Major Monty Migliacio with the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office says technology played a major role in keeping recent parades running smoothly.
“Both parades went without a hitch,” Migliacio said, referring to the Krewe of Comogo and Krewe of Royalty parades. “It was all in all a great experience for parade-goers as well as law enforcement.”
For the first time, the sheriff’s office deployed multiple drones during multiple flight sessions, focusing on intersections and high-volume areas.
“Those drones were activated in multiple different flight sessions, different patrol areas to assist deputies at intersections,” Migliacio said.
With an estimated 100,000 attendees across the events, only one arrest was made.
“I think the stats prove it,” Migliacio said. “We had a lot of people… and the sheriff’s office made one arrest.”
Migliacio says the visible presence of law enforcement, both on the ground and in the air, acts as a deterrent.
“It serves as a deterrent for anyone that might be thinking about causing any type of mayhem inside the parade. These mobile cameras, these drones, officer presence — it helps all of that.”
Migliacio, now in his 21st year in law enforcement, says technology has dramatically changed the profession.
“As law enforcement has changed, so has technology, and absolutely it has helped law enforcement tremendously. It is a great deterrent.”
A growing national trend
Baton Rouge and Iberville Parish are part of a growing national movement.
According to the Center for the Study of the Drone, more than 1,500 public safety agencies across the United States have acquired drones. Research shows that roughly two-thirds of large police departments now operate drone programs.
The Federal Aviation Administration reports that tens of thousands of drones are registered for public safety and government use nationwide, reflecting the rapid expansion of UAS programs over the past decade.
Experts say departments are increasingly using drones for:
- Search and rescue
- Crowd monitoring
- Traffic collision reconstruction
- Crime scene documentation
- Disaster response
For local agencies, the goal remains the same: improve response times while keeping both officers and civilians safe. As festival season continues, police say you’ll notice the drones overhead more and more.
“These drones help tremendously,” Migliacio said. “But at the end of the day, you still need deputies and officers there doing the job.”
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