Remote Control Cops?

Demonstration shows how hi-tech drones could supplement campus security

Highland Park ISD’s school resource officers could one day get some help from hi-tech, high-flying sidekicks.

District officials and other law enforcement recently viewed a demonstration of security drones at University Park Elementary School, and HPISD is considering their use as a supplement to campus peace officers.

The tiny-but-mighty drones from company Campus Guardian Angel each weigh roughly 3 pounds and would be kept tucked away on charging plates unless activated in an emergency. But they could pack a punch if a school were faced with a security threat. 

Steered remotely by some of the world’s best racing pilots, the drones could cruise through hallways, breaking windows if needed, to confront an intruder in just 15 seconds, according to the Campus Guardian Angel webpage.

Once they reached an intruder, the drones would be designed to use a speaker to demand surrender and to disorient the unwanted individual with a high-pitched siren and air poppers, which combine bright flashes of light with loud bangs.

If the intruder did not surrender, the drones could shoot pepper balls at them, or fly into them at speeds of up to 70 mph, according to Campus Guardian Angel.

The aim would be to buy precious minutes for law enforcement to respond when a school was faced with an intruder, or to even deter a self-destructive individual aware of the drones’ non-lethal methods from coming to campus at all.

When law enforcement arrived, the drones could team up with officers and go through doors first to confront a dangerous intruder, according to Campus Guardian Angel.

The company compares the drones to mosquitos, and claims the tiny flyers are very difficult to shoot. But if one went down, it wouldn’t really matter. They’re just pieces of plastic and are easy to replace.

“We’re trying to take cognitive load off of the people that are responding, and we’re trying to soften up the target. When they get there, I don’t want anybody to hesitate,” Campus Guardian Angel’s cofounder and chief tactical officer Bill King said. “I know how hard it is to make these entries.”

King, who has 32 years of SEAL team experience, helped launch the Austin-based company in 2025. Its system involves placing between 20 and 60 drones at a campus at a fraction of the cost of employing and outfitting a school resource officer, King said.

“You take a machine that is inexpensive, and you don’t care if you lose it, and you come with less lethal effects,” he said. “You can’t do that with a person.”

If HPISD acquired security drones, it wouldn’t be the district’s first use of this cutting-edge technology. The district utilized drones from SMU to surveil protests outside Highland Park High School in November, HPISD police chief Mark Rowden said.

Rowden said HPISD is considering the drones as a force multiplier, not as a replacement for campus peace officers. The April demonstration at University Park Elementary showed the drones could potentially help address threats quickly and safely. But HPISD is not sure whether they are right for the district, and is a long way from adopting drone technology.

“It was pretty impressive,” Rowden said. “And I think it does have a place. We’re still evaluating whether or not it has a place here, in our schools.”