Clermont County commissioners voted Aug. 20 to formally endorse the Loveland Police Department's application for federal grant money to purchase a drone for police operations.

The board authorized a letter of support for Loveland's application to the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), the Clermont Guardian reported. The city is seeking the grant to fund an unmanned aerial vehicle for the department.

Clermont County Emergency Management Agency Director Shawn Riley executed the letter on Monday, Aug. 10 on the county's behalf, according to the commissioners' meeting minutes. The board formally ratified the action 10 days later.

The COPS Office runs multiple grant programs that fund drone purchases for police departments. Its FY26 Community Policing Development Microgrants program lists unmanned aerial systems as a named funding priority, with approved uses including search-and-rescue operations, pursuit operations, barricaded subjects, digital evidence gathering and wellness checks.

That program offers up to $200,000 per agency from a $6.7 million national pool. Awards last 24 months and require no local match, meaning a recipient agency would not need to put up its own money.

The microgrants application deadline was Monday, Aug. 24. A separate COPS program, the Technology and Equipment Program, closed its application window on Aug. 18. The specific program Loveland applied to has not been publicly identified.

Any drone operation would be subject to Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communications Commission regulations. The COPS Office gives priority consideration to applicants that include a plan to measure the project's impact on public safety.

The Loveland Police Department serves residents across portions of Hamilton, Clermont and Warren counties. No public statement from Loveland PD or city officials about the application appears in available records.

No dollar amount sought, no drone model and no award timeline have been made public.