'You can be just as good as anybody': All-women drone team gives new crime scene perspective
The Advanced Imaging and Rendering Team at a Maryland police department is improving crime scene investigations with its all-women drone team.
The Baltimore Police Department's AIR Team uses advanced technology to document crime scenes from above.
"I believe in this technology and what it can do for the city," said Megan Descalzi, a forensic scientist with BPD, who leads the team of 11 crime scene technicians on the drone team.
Descalzi said the concept of an all-women drone team is rare within the drone community, which is predominantly male.
"A lot of individuals within the world of drones and public safety and law enforcement are mostly men. So, for us to have an (all-woman) drone team is something that a lot of agencies are really impressed by," Descalzi said.
"It's really cool just to put ourselves out there and be like, 'Yes, we are an all-women's team,' and it's exciting," said Erika Schmidt, a crime laboratory technician on the drone team.
In 2025, the team deployed drones at over 100 crime scenes. Rachel Hare, a crime laboratory technician with BPD, highlighted the benefits of aerial photography in investigations.
"With an aerial photo, you can see the whole crime scene. It gives the jury a better layout of where everything happened. You can show potential escape routes and things like that, so it's one of those things that gives you such a good perspective to be able to put together the evidence and give the jury a better picture of what happened," Hare said.
The drones aren't limited to just outdoor investigations, though. They can also be flown indoors.
"The purpose of this in the world of crime scenes is when we have scenes inside of locations that are not safe for us to enter," Descalzi said. "These drones will allow us to fly in while our technicians are safe outside, and still be able to document the scenes and capture videos or photographs so that we can still make sure that the scene and all of the evidence within it is maintained properly."
The capability is crucial for investigations in vacant homes, and it also assists the fire department in large fire scenes where safety is a concern.
"It's placing eyes inside of the location without putting anyone in harm's way," Descalzi said.
Descalzi hopes the team's work will inspire more women to pursue drone piloting.
"I want to show other women, I want to show girls that you can be a drone pilot and you can be just as good as anybody else in this field," Descalzi said.
