Several U.S. schools are preparing to deploy pepper-spraying drones aimed at responding to active-shooter incidents. According to reports, the drones are plastic, nonlethal aircraft designed to help intervene during emergencies by reaching an attacker area and releasing pepper spray. The devices also incorporate methods intended to break through barriers: they can smash windows and are described as able to ram attackers.
The rollout is limited to a small number of schools. One outlet reports that the drones will be available in “a handful” of schools, while another specifies that at least nine schools are planned for equipment. Both accounts link the initial deployment to the start of the coming school year in Florida, Georgia and Colorado.
The reports characterize the drones as an added tool for school safety rather than a replacement for existing emergency procedures, emphasizing that the technology is intended to function during active-shooter situations. Details about training, oversight, and how the drones are activated are not provided in the excerpts.
