Drone Flight Request

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Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026, 02:59 PM

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Drones

Departmental Use of Drones

Southern Illinois University Department of Public Safety (DPS) uses small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), commonly referred to as drones, to enhance campus and community safety by improving situational awareness and enabling rapid emergency response. Through its patrol drone program, trained personnel deploy drones to support critical incident monitoring, assist in missing-person searches, improve traffic and pedestrian safety and enhance security during large-scale campus events.

DPS has a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, enabling drones to be rapidly deployed to emergency calls before responding officers arrive. By providing real-time aerial intelligence to responding personnel, the program helps improve response times, support informed decision-making and increase the safety of students, faculty, staff, visitors and first responders during emergency situations.

All drone operations are conducted in accordance with applicable FAA regulations, state laws, and university policies to ensure the responsible, transparent and privacy-conscious use of technology in support of public safety. In the interest of transparency, the DPS Drone First Responder Flight Dashboard is available for the public to view flight information.

Drone flight requests

To maintain the safety of our entire campus community, university policy requires that remote pilots first obtain permission from the Department of Public Safety before conducting a drone flight on campus property.

We understand that remote pilots have a wide variety of reasons to fly drones on campus, and we do everything we can to work with you to ensure your flight is as safe as possible for you and the other members of our campus community.

Prior to conducting aerial activities outdoors for non-recreational use (i.e., educational use, research activities and university business operations) on campus property, the individual, campus unit, or other group must obtain approval from the Department of Public Safety by completing the form below.

Once you complete this request, it will be sent to the SIU Police Department for review. You should expect a response within two business days of your request. Drone operators are not approved for flight until they receive an email confirmation from the Department of Public Safety.

Safety resources

Before proceeding, please review the following documents if you have not already.

Flight request form

* denotes a required field

Name of person completing this form *
UIN (if applicable)
Phone number *

Pilot information

Skip this section if the pilot information is the same as the person completing this form.

Pilot's name
Pilot's UIN (if applicable)
Pilot's phone number

Flight information

Date(s) and time(s) of flight (list each day/time you plan on flying) *
Location of flight *
Max height of flight *
Purpose of flight
  •      Hobby/recreation
  •      Research
  •      Commercial
  •      Other (please specify below)
Other purpose

If you selected research or commercial purposes, please provide more detail on the campus unit with which you are affiliated and the specific purpose of your flight.

Research purpose details

Acknowledgements

Is your drone registered with the FAA?
  •      Yes
  •      No
  •      My drone does not require FAA registration (please indicate make and model below)
Make and model (If applicable)
If you answered yes to the previous question, please list your drone's FAA registration number here
     Drone serial number *
Does the pilot have FAA Part 107 certification?
  •      Yes
  •      No
If you answered yes to the previous question, please list the pilot's certificate number and date of issue
Has the pilot reviewed and does the pilot understand the Academy of Model Aeronautics safety guidelines?
  •      Yes
  •      No
Has the pilot reviewed and does the pilot understand all FAA requirements?
  •      Yes
  •      No

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