DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Iowa State Patrol is adding unmanned aircraft to it's toolbox in highway traffic accident investigations.
"Each time that we have the roadway closed, we know that there's a high risk there will be secondary collisions. We're going to get roadways open and create officer safety as well" says ISP Sgt. Alex Dinkla.
He says the drones will scan a crash scene with 3-D imaging which increases accuracy and speeds accident investigations.
Dinkla says the drones could have another use.
"We may utilize these on a crime scene with the assistance of a search warrant" he says.
Dinkla says the drones won't be used to issue speeding tickets.
"Utilizing it for any kind of traffic enforcement is actually prohibited by state law" he says.
He says state law prohibits the State Patrol from using the drones in traffic enforcement.