19-05 UAS Procedures

Study Notes

Authorized Member: A member who has completed a Department-approved training program and meets all the conditions of the certification of waiver or authorization issued by the FAA.
Certificate of Waiver of Authorization (COA): An FAA grant or approval for a specific flight operation.
Crew Member (UAS): An authorized member assigned to perform an operational duty during UAS deployments.
Remote Pilot In Command (PIC): An authorized member who holds a remote pilot certificate with a sUAS rating and has the final authority and responsibility for the operation and safety of an UAS operation.
UAS Commander: An authorized member at the rank of Captain or above responsible for all FAA reporting and administrative responsibilities associated with the operation of the UAS.
Unmanned Aircraft (UA) or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV): An aircraft operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS): An UA and associated elements required for the remote PIC to operate safely and efficiently.
Visual Line of Sight (VLOS): Unaided visual contact between a PIC or a visual observer and an UA, sufficient to maintain safe operational control of the aircraft.
Visual Observer (VO): An authorized member who assists the PIC in maintaining visual and navigational awareness of the airspace and advises the PIC of any imminent hazards.

Only authorized members can deploy an UAS and only when such use is appropriate in the performance of their official duties.
All deployments, uses, audio/video recordings, and data generated by the UAS must comply with the policies and applicable laws.
Operators and observers must take reasonable precautions to avoid inadvertently recording or transmitting images of areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Requests for assistance from outside agencies will be directed to the UAS Commander or the Special Operations Commander or designee.

Scene Documentation: To document a crime scene, accident scene, or other major incident scene.
Search and Rescue: To assist in missing person investigations, AMBER Alerts, and other search and rescue situations.
Situational Awareness: To assist decision makers in understanding the nature, scale, or scope of an incident and for planning and coordinating an effective response.
Tactical Deployment: To support the tactical deployment of sworn members and equipment in emergency situations.
Visual Perspective: To provide an aerial visual perspective to assist sworn members in providing direction for crowd control, traffic accident management, special circumstances, and temporary perimeter security.
Assist in Apprehensions: To assist in apprehending suspects.

All deployments of UAS will be approved by the UAS Commander or authorized supervisory personnel.
UAS Commander will report to the Special Operations Commander or designee on issues, concerns, training needs, and any other business pertaining to the UAS program.
UAS Commander will appoint a crew member of the UAS Team to serve in their place if not available at any specific time.