PITTSBURGH \u2014 Pittsburgh police were preparing to launch a drone in the West End to give officers a better view of a target location, but 11 Investigates learned that the drone never made it off the ground.<\/p>\n
It happened last Thursday outside the Zone 6 police station in the West End. <\/p>\n
It was all part of Operation Steel Reaper, a joint federal and local investigation into violent drug trafficking in the city of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 15 Pittsburgh residents indicted in connection with \u2018violent drug trafficking operation\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about gangs in this scenario; they are really street level or neighborhood groups of individuals who are wreaking havoc on the community, poisoning those communities with deadly narcotics and just really bringing violence to those communities,\u201d Richard Evanchec, the FBI Special Agent In Charge of the Pittsburgh office, said. <\/p>\n One of the target locations was in the West End near the Zone 6 police station.<\/p>\n 11 Investigates has learned through multiple sources that around 5:30 am, officers set up in the parking lot of the station to launch a drone to give them a bird\u2019s-eye view of the location where they planned to serve an arrest warrant. <\/p>\n The drone was on the pavement in front of the police car, and the operators were in the car, when another officer in his personal vehicle arriving to work didn\u2019t see the $20,000 drone and drove right over it, smashing it into pieces.<\/p>\n In a statement to 11 Investigates, a Public Safety spokesperson says, \u201cthe driver did not observe the visual lights emitting from the propellers and his vehicle made contact with the sUAS, or small unmanned aircraft system. \u201d<\/p>\n For years, 11 Investigates has documented delays with the city drone program.<\/p>\n The city had initially ordered two drones for $50,000 eight years ago, but they sat in boxes and weren\u2019t used for years because of privacy concerns.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Target 11 Exclusive: City of Pittsburgh paid $50,000 for drones, never used them<\/a><\/p>\n 11 Investigates spoke with then Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt in November of 2024 to get an update on the drones.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a new technology, people get nervous, had to get through some red tape, but we\u2019ve made it through, and I think we\u2019re ready to go,\u201d said Schmidt.<\/p>\n About a year later, the drone program expanded. <\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 11 Investigates uncovers new plans to expand Pittsburgh police drone program<\/a><\/p>\n Last August, the city purchased nine drones, and they\u2019ve begun using them now during SWAT standoffs, large fires and to locate missing people.<\/p>\n And the city says they won\u2019t have to eat the cost of that destroyed drone, as the manufacturer has agreed to honor the original protection plan and replace the drone free of charge.<\/p>\n The city says the replacement drone has already been delivered. <\/p>\n The original two drones that were purchased eight years ago are now used for training drone operators.<\/p>\n Operation Steel Reaper resulted in the arrests of 15 alleged drug dealers.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n