‘Eyes in the sky’ From the cover
The overview
Expanded reach By adding three new docking stations, Friendswood expanded its DFR program to service over 90% of the city.
In 2025, Friendswood launched its drone as rst responder program, in which the city’s police department dispatches a drone to respond to a call before o cers arrive on scene. The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, allows the department to y the drone within a 2-mile radius of its docking location, so until now, the department could only service a limited portion of the city near its police station, located at 1600 Whitaker Drive, Friendswood. By the end of February, the department will add three new docking stations, increasing aerial visibility to over 90% of the city, Multimedia Communications Specialist Taylor McCombs said. Unlike traditional police drones, which o cers pilot on-scene, these drones are mounted at xed locations and piloted remotely from a control room. Created by manufacturer DJI, the drones feature high-end cameras with infrared sensors for thermal imaging and zoom capabilities. Each drone and dock costs $22,000, and the Dronesense software to operate them costs $8,000 per year, Friendswood Police Chief Josh Rogers said. Even during the testing phase, the drones were deployed just under 200 times in January, Sgt. Scott Muir said, adding that he anticipates the number will increase “exponentially” once the program is fully operational.
2-mile radius 1-mile radius Drone launchpad Friendswood city limits
Upon dispatch, the drone arrives at the scene in an average of 90 seconds, providing aerial video to o cers en route to the scene.
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JAMAAL ELLIS COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: FRIENDSWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
Why it matters
Also of note
Drones dispatched
Friendswood isn’t the only area community building a robust drone as rst responder, or DFR, program. In 2023, the FAA authorized the Pearland Police Department to operate its DFR program in a beyond- visual-line-of-sight operation, eliminating the need for human visual observers—the rst department in the nation to receive that distinction. Manvel Chief of Police Keith Traylor, whose department has used drones since 2021, said if the department secures city funding in the 2025-26 scal year, he anticipates it will be able to launch its own DFR program within the year. Since 2021, Manvel’s police department has grown its drone eet from two to six, Traylor said. “They’re a very, very e cient tool for us and ... as technology progresses, they’re going to get better and better and better,” Traylor said. “There’s all kinds of uses and tools for these devices, and as technology grows, we’re going to grow with it here.”
While the drones only have a 2-mile ight radius, pilots can monitor areas the drone can’t y over with the camera’s zoom features. Muir said the drones serve as “eyes in the sky” that make law enforcement’s jobs easier, referencing a recent call where o cers used a drone to quickly locate a lost, vulnerable woman. Muir anticipates the drones will be useful in other, higher-risk scenarios, such as encounters with armed suspects. The drone can also be used to triage traf- c accidents. In a recent accident involving two cars with missing tires, Muir said the pilot immediately saw the damage, allow- ing the police department to call wreckers before o cers arrived at the scene.
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*NOTE: UPTICK IN FEBRUARY FLIGHTS DUE TO TRAINING.
Flight categories
General ights: 20% Track suspects: 18.8% Collision reconstruction: 14.9% Training ights: 40%
SOURCE: MANVEL POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
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