The Dallas Police Department’s new Drone as First Responder program officially launched Wednesday, May 20.
The program includes eight remotely piloted drones based at Dallas Fire-Rescue stations across Dallas. The drones are operated out of the Fusion/Real Time Crime Center and are designed to respond to calls for service in a two-mile radius from their base station.
The base locations were selected based on heat maps of calls for service for both police and fire. The drones will be able to get to the scene quicker than in a squad car and provide real-time intelligence to officers.
Each drone is equipped with a thermal camera to help during nighttime operations, as well as a loudspeaker to make announcements to individuals on the ground.
The collaborative partnership between police and fire departments represents a step forward in using smart-city technology to protect both residents and first responders.
