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The drone runs on batteries that provide 25 minutes of flight time, according to the manufacturer, Aeryon Labs of Waterloo. The unit returns to its starting point when it detects that the battery is low.

Halton police say the drone is stored in a warehouse, and brought out only when the need arises.

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Aeryon Labs does not disclose how many police forces are using its drones, but a spokesperson did say it sells its product to various clients, including military, civilian and police.

The Aeryon Scout, used by the Halton police, is a small lightweight mini-helicopter that is remote controlled from the ground using a touch screen control pad. The drone allows police to watch video in real time.

A commercial unit of the Scout sells for $60,000, with costs varying for military and police units depending on the configuration. There is also an option to lease the Scout, which Aeryon believes helps police forces with tighter budgets.

It’s pretty easy to spot. A lot of the spots these growers pick are in farm fields

“A helicopter would have been used in these operations, but due to budget cuts, the Scout would be used instead,” says Ian McDonald, VP of marketing at Aeryon. “Traditionally, we’re replacing the role of a helicopter.”

Toronto Police don’t have either. If they need to use a helicopter, they use one from either the York Regional or Durham Regional police services. Const. Victor Kwong says Toronto police are either billed directly for the use of the helicopters, or they trade man hours, such as use of the marine division, with York or Durham to help pay off the debt.

Well-off civilians, meanwhile aren’t excluded from drone use, but they wouldn’t just be able to fly it straight out of the box.

“In Canada, anyone conducting UAV operations is required to obtain and comply with the provisions of a Special Flight Operations Certificate,” says Kelly James of Transport Canada.

Certificates must be obtained through Transport Canada at least four weeks before the proposed use of the UAV.