Soaring up to 400 feet in the air and flying 35 miles per hour, Camden County Police now have a new birds-eye view over the city.

The police department launched a new drone unit, which got off the ground a few weeks ago.

"It captures evidence as we need it and it assists the officers on the ground," said Lt. Gordon Harvey, Camden County Police.

The drones are docked on rooftops across the city and they're launched remotely and controlled by officers inside a tactical center.

The drones are being used to help patrol the streets of Camden, but also to respond to emergency incidents.

"A broken down auto on the highway that might cause an issue, we can send a drone out there to get eyes on it before we can get an officer there... missing children, medical calls where we have an issue locating somebody," Harvey said.

Six drones and six full-time officers make up the new unit. Harvey said the drones can also respond to a shooting and more serious situations to help monitor a scene live as it happens, and provide critical information and situational awareness for police on the ground.

"If there's information that pertains to the call, to the people we're trying to help, it just gets us that information quicker and easier so we're able to help faster," Harvey said.

The department never had a helicopter before and had to rely on other agencies. The drones now give officers a new vantage point, and they can fly to a scene within seconds.

"It's giving us an almost immediate response to certain incidents where we wouldn't otherwise been able to respond," Harvey said.

According to Harvey, each drone costs about $20,000 and the program is fully funded for five years by a grant.

Sharai Trout lives in Camden and believes the drones will make the city safer.

"It's a great idea, it's an essential tool they are definitely going to utilize," Trout said.