ALBANY, N.Y. -- After a year of research, the New York State Police says drones will be added as another tool in the toolbox. 

By the end of March, 18 drones will be used throughout the state, with two in each unit. The hope is to use them for things like scene reconstruction, flooding assessments and crime scene documentation. They’ve already been used in search and rescue.

Each model costs about $7,000, and all but two of them were donated by the Trooper Foundation.

"We wanted to get the best bang for our buck," said Capt. Scott Reichel, head of NYSP planning and research. "This particular drone is a good commercial-style drone. It’s used in cinematography, has good camera capability. As you see, it has pretty good air worthiness."

Of course, not everyone is allowed to fly the drones. They hope to train four to six troopers in each unit.