14 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – State lawmakers are looking to ban government agencies from purchasing some foreign made drones considered to be from “countries of concern,” which includes China.
Kansas law enforcement organizations say nearly 90% of drones they have are made in China. If this bill passes, they can still use those. They just can’t buy new ones.
Each drone costs tens of thousands of dollars.
A lieutenant with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office says since 2018, they’ve used drones for search and rescue and gathering evidence.
All five of their drones, including one they bought last year, were made by a Chinese company. He said they get them from China because they are cheaper than ones made in other countries.
“We don’t have a set budget for our drone aircraft, so we have to find money in the budget to replace them,” said Lt. Nathan Gibbs with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.
He said if lawmakers ban buying drones from China, the sheriff’s office is worried about being able to afford other drones.
The Wichita Police Department used to buy its drones from China. About a year ago, they started replacing them with U.S. made equipment.
A lieutenant said conversations about banning the purchase of Chinese-made drones were happening as the department was undergoing a refresh last year.
To be safe, the department decided any new drones they buy would be made in America. That choice comes at a price
“Probably at minimum 50% more, maybe not exactly twice as expensive,” said Lt. Derek Purcell with the Wichita Police Department. “They are considerably more expensive”
The WPD expects to have eight new American-made drones within the next month.