The Newport News Police Department, like a few others in Hampton Roads, already has a drone unit. However, they've never used drones as a first response.
During a recent City Council work session, Assistant City Manager Alan Archer and Police Chief Steve Drew made a pitch for utilizing drones to help respond to emergencies and calls for service. The goal is to increase safety for police and people involved in a crisis.
After being paroled in 2018 on a decades old murder charge, Nathaniel Pierce is now back in custody courtesy of a cocaine-fueled car crash in January 2020, and two felony counts of assaulting police officers in the ensuing arrest.