Live updates: Investigation into shooting at Trump rally continues after attempted murder at campaign rally

Drones are now used everywhere, from small rural police departments with a handful of employees to large federal agencies. But they weren’t in the skies over former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania when a gunman shot him and three other attendees from a nearby rooftop.

Some officials want to know the reason for this.

“What happened here? I think there was at least a clear security breach. And we need to find out, for example, why weren’t drones used in this area?” House Speaker Mike Johnson asked on CNN on Sunday night. “I haven’t gotten a satisfactory answer to that yet. It seems pretty obvious that they would do that to see people on roofs.”

Experts in the field say drones are becoming more common tools for law enforcement, even when not used for threat assessment. They can be used for things as simple as controlling traffic at large events or helping emergency responders care for people with common medical problems.

Aerial surveillance is much easier thanks to advances in drones, says Matt Sloane, CEO of drone company Skyfire. His company has trained law enforcement agencies large and small, including the Secret Service, in the use of drones and provided the service itself.

Sloane said his company has provided drone surveillance for private security firms operating at presidential candidate rallies not yet covered by the Secret Service, as well as at major events such as Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta in February 2019. His service costs about $5,000 per drone per event.

“I’m not accusing the Secret Service or any other agency of doing anything wrong,” he said of the lack of drones at Saturday’s rally. “This is newer technology, and the Secret Service has been doing things successfully a certain way for a long time. But there are things that can help and are worth thinking about.”

The Secret Service has so far declined to answer questions about the lack of drone surveillance and its other decisions regarding security at Saturday’s rally.