Drones for Law & Public Safety Course

Drones for Law and Public Safety (DLPS)

The DLPS course is the intermediate course for a drone pathway. DLPS is also used as an advanced course in many other LPS Pathways.

This course prepares students for certifications to operate drones in the law and public safety environment. First students will complete the necessary training to be prepared to pass the FAA 107 Pilot test. Students will then train in remote sensing and photogrammetry. Students will learn how to prepare and plan for law and public safety operations. A significant portion of the course time will be dedicated to developing flight skills and performing maneuvers necessary for such operations. Using the National Institute of Standards and Technology national standard performance test for unmanned aerial vehicles, students will train for real world applications.

Instructional Plans

LAPSEN Unit Plans

LAPSEN has a complete course (120-150 hours) of unit lesson plans available to members – Click Here to access.

Other Lesson Plan Sources

CTE Online – The great state of California has an insane amount of resources and lessons. Be sure to search with different key words. You do have to have an account – but they give them to all teachers: Click Here

Texas CTE Lesson Plans – They have some materials for law and public safety: Click Here

Industry Recognized Credential (IRC) for the Drones Pathway

This course is designed to adequately prepare students for all three IRCs.

FAA Part 107

FAA Part 107 test is only offered at FAA-authorized testing centers. Cost of the test – $175. Click Here to learn more.

Implementation options:

Plan on 60 hours in the DLPS course to review content and prepare students to test with plenty of flight time – this is what we recommend.
Have students complete the FAA Part 107 independently
Enroll students in an online preparation course

The FAA Part 107 is basic licensing for commercial drone use.

Instructors do not need any special training for this section, however it is recommended teachers complete FAA Part 107 certification.

NFPA 2400 Standard for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Used for Public Safety Operations (2019 edition)

This part of the certification process begins to focus on public safety skills sets. This part requires 25-30 hours of class time including skills practice and evaluation. To read more on NFPA 2400 Click Here.

Student Certification

The NFPA certification test covers part of the requirement.
Cost – $25 or $20 for LAPSEN members.
Cut Score – 70
To order tests Click Here.
Teachers will sign off on student skill achievements to complete the certification.

For more specific information on instructor training: Click Here

ESRI Drone2Map

This part of the certification process begins to focus on integrating drone data into 2D and 3D mapping applications. This part requires 25 hours of class time. To read more on ESRI Drone2Map Click Here.

Student Certification

Passing the Drone2Map test results in certification.
Cost – $25 or $20 for LAPSEN members.
Cut Score is 70
To order test Click Here
Teachers will sign off on student skill achievements to complete the certification.