Warrington Police Drone Finds Missing Man
Photo credit: Warrington Police Department.
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A police drone made the difference between a long night and a safe reunion in Pennsylvania this week.
On February 2 at 9:39 p.m., the Buckingham Township Police Department requested drone support from the Warrington Township Police Department to help locate a missing endangered man suffering from dementia, as Patch.com reported.
Time was critical. Darkness had already settled in.
Warrington Township PD responded and immediately deployed a DJI Matrice platform, likely a DJI Matrice 30 or possibly the newer DJI Matrice 3TD, both widely used in public safety operations.
Photo credit: DJI
Within a short time, the drone located the missing man. They directed ground units to the exact location, and the individual was safely recovered and reunited with his family.
Thermal vision from a DJI Matrice drone
Photo credit: Dark Horizon Drones
No helicopter. No massive search grid. Just an enterprise drone and a trained operator.
A Growing UAS Program
The Warrington Township Police Department launched its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Division in 2025. The unit is led by Lieutenant Robert Meditz and currently consists of six sworn officers who are FAA certified drone pilots.
Photo credit: Warrington Police Department.
The program operates in partnership with the Warrington Fire Service, which maintains its own drone and certified operators. Together, they support emergency response, search and rescue missions, law enforcement overwatch, and community events.
This is how modern policing is evolving. Drones are no longer experimental tools. They are becoming standard equipment.
Why Enterprise DJI Drones Dominate
While the department did not specify the exact model, both the Matrice 30 and Matrice 3TD are equipped with thermal imaging cameras. That capability alone changes nighttime searches, especially when vulnerable individuals are involved.
Thermal sensors can detect body heat in low visibility conditions, across tree lines, and over open terrain in minutes. What might take hours on foot can sometimes be accomplished in a single battery flight.
Public safety agencies across the U.S. continue to rely heavily on DJI’s enterprise lineup for that reason. Reliability, rapid deployment, and integrated thermal payloads make them ideal for search and rescue.
In this case, the technology did exactly what it was meant to do. It shortened the search window and increased the odds of a safe outcome.
DroneXL’s Take
This is where drones prove their worth.
Not flashy content. Not social media clips. Just real world impact.
A missing person. A cold February night. A thermal eye in the sky.
Police drone programs will always spark debate, but when used responsibly and transparently, their value in search and rescue is hard to ignore. Every minute saved matters.
Sometimes, one drone flight is all it takes to bring someone home.
Photo credit: DJI, Warrington Police Department and Dark Horizon Drones.