When a drone shows up somewhere it shouldn't — over a crime scene, a crowd, or a sensitive facility — one of the first questions responding officers ask is where the pilot is standing. Remote ID broadcasts can help answer that question, but the answer depends heavily on what kind of broadcast the aircraft is sending.
What the broadcast can reveal
Drones with Remote ID built in by the manufacturer typically broadcast the live location of their control station as part of the standard message. A receiver in range can pick this up and, combined with a live map, show roughly where that signal is coming from — giving officers a starting point to investigate rather than searching a wide area blind.
Drones using an add-on broadcast module, by contrast, are generally only required to report the aircraft's take-off location rather than the live position of whoever is holding the controller. If the operator has moved since launch, that take-off point won't reflect their current location.
Where this information doesn't apply
Operator or control-station location is available only when it's included in the aircraft's specific Remote ID broadcast. Non-compliant aircraft, malfunctioning equipment, or certain module configurations may not provide it at all. Agencies that build procedures around Remote ID should treat control-station location as a valuable lead when it's present, not as a location that will always be available for every drone encountered.
It's also worth noting that detecting and identifying an aircraft is a different activity from taking any enforcement action. Remote ID and detection tools built on it provide situational awareness; how an agency responds to what it sees remains governed by its own authority, training, and applicable law.