Colorado Police Drone Loses Fight With Red-Tailed Hawk

Colorado Police Drone Loses Fight With Red-Tailed Hawk

Photo by Diane Baker on Unsplash

More and more police departments in Colorado are using technology to fight crime. One of the largest changes we've seen in the state is the use of drones.

These drones used by police departments are known as Drones As First Responders. This week, a Colorado police department used one of these drones to check out a condemned shed when one of Mother Nature's creatures decided the drone shouldn't be there.

Red-Tailed Hawk Attacks Arvada Police Drone

a bird of prey flying through the air
Photo by Vijayalakshmi Nidugondi on Unsplash

The Arvada Police Department shared the drone versus a red-tailed hawk incident on X. The bodycam footage shows the red-tailed hawk locking on the police drone from the ground, then from the drone's perspective as the hawk attacks.

Emergency Parachute Saves Police Drone

The Arvada Police Department said the hawk swooped in and knocked the drone out of the sky. Thankfully, the police drone was equipped with an emergency parachute that deployed automatically, allowing it to safely drift into a nearby tree.

The Arvada Fire Department had to come in and retrieve the drone from the top of a very tall tree, and only a new parachute and a couple of propellers were needed to repair the drone before it could return to service in the police department.

READ MORE: Drones to be Used as First Responders in One Colorado City

The red-tailed hawk flew away from the incident unharmed. See the video footage from the Arvada Police Department below:

READ MORE: Colorado State Patrol Using Drones To Increase Safety, Save Lives

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Gallery Credit: Kelsey Nistel

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