North Carolina Public Safety Drone Academy

The North Carolina Public Safety Drone Academy (NC-PSDA) is an intensive flight training and federal licensure preparation academy for the use of Unmanned aerial vehicle<nowiki/>s in support of public safety functions. The first of its kind in the nation, the scenario-based training program provides training to public safety professionals in law enforcement, search and rescue, firefighting, and the department of corrections.
Unmanned aerial vehicle<nowiki/>s have been used extensively in search and rescue operations, and the 2016 Federal Aviation Administration rules on UAVs have put the technology into the hands of local search and rescue teams. The proliferation of the use of UAVs in support of law enforcement and other public safety functions has raised concerns among privacy watchdog groups prompting federal and state agencies to develop standard operating practices for the legal and ethical deployment of such technology. Notably, the North Carolina academy was developed through collaborative efforts by state and local regulatory and workforce training agencies, such as North Carolina Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Community College System, and , marking the first state-supported UAV program in the nation.

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