Baltimore's All-Women Drone Team Enhances Crime Scene Investigations

The Advanced Imaging and Rendering Team uses aerial technology to document evidence and improve jury understanding.

Mar. 25, 2026 at 1:17am

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Baltimore police's Advanced Imaging and Rendering (AIR) Team is using an all-women drone team to enhance crime scene investigations. The team of 11 crime scene technicians deploys drones to capture aerial photography and video, providing a new perspective that helps document evidence and give juries a better understanding of what happened. The drones can be used both outdoors and indoors, allowing the team to safely gather information in dangerous or inaccessible areas.

Why it matters

An all-women drone team is rare within the predominantly male drone community, and the AIR Team's work aims to inspire more women to pursue careers in drone piloting. The aerial photography and video captured by the drones provide crucial evidence and context for criminal investigations, improving the ability of law enforcement and the justice system to piece together what occurred at a crime scene.

The details

The AIR Team, led by forensic scientist Megan Descalzi, used drones at over 100 crime scenes in 2025. The drones allow the team to document the full layout of a crime scene, including potential escape routes, which helps provide juries with a better understanding of what happened. The drones can also be flown indoors to gather evidence in unsafe locations, without putting technicians at risk.

  • In 2025, the AIR Team deployed drones at over 100 crime scenes.
  • The team was established in an unspecified year prior to 2026.

The players

Megan Descalzi

A forensic scientist with the Baltimore Police Department who leads the 11-member all-women drone team on the AIR Team.

Erika Schmidt

A crime laboratory technician on the Baltimore Police Department's AIR Team drone squad.

Rachel Hare

A crime laboratory technician with the Baltimore Police Department who highlights the benefits of aerial photography in investigations.

Baltimore Police Department

The law enforcement agency in Baltimore, Maryland that has established the Advanced Imaging and Rendering (AIR) Team, including an all-women drone squad.

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What they’re saying

“I believe in this technology and what it can do for the city.”

— Megan Descalzi, Forensic Scientist, Baltimore Police Department

“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.”

— Erika Schmidt, Crime Laboratory Technician, Baltimore Police Department

“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.”

— Rachel Hare, Crime Laboratory Technician, Baltimore Police Department

What’s next

The Baltimore Police Department plans to continue expanding the capabilities and reach of its all-women drone team on the Advanced Imaging and Rendering (AIR) Team, with the goal of using the aerial technology to document more crime scenes and provide crucial evidence for investigations and trials.

The takeaway

Baltimore's pioneering all-women drone team is demonstrating the value of aerial technology in enhancing crime scene investigations and inspiring more women to pursue careers in the male-dominated field of drone piloting, which could lead to broader adoption of this innovative approach by law enforcement agencies across the country.