Flying rst responders From the cover
In a nutshell
Prosper has launched the rst drone as a rst responder in the state. The drones will be used in the Prosper police and re departments and are the rst drones in Texas that can be deployed out of the operator’s line of sight, o cials said. The drone as a rst responder (DFR) program launched in May. The system will allow rst responders to assess situations through the high-de nition camera and thermal radar before sending human rst responders. “This will revolutionize our response time,” Prosper Police Chief Doug Kowalski said. “We can really leverage this technology and make it safer for the community.” The drone can be deployed and on the scene within a 3-mile radius of the department within 90 seconds. The town has two DFR drones and additional drones used in the eld. The drones are currently on a ve-year lease with the town through Flock Safety, a manufacturer and operator of security hardware and software. The drones were funded 80% through grants and 20% through town funds for about $150,000 for the rst year, Prosper Police Sgt. Keith Mann said. The drone essentially takes the place of a rst responder on every shift, which is about four o cers, Kowalski said. Kowalski said the drones can be used similarly to police helicopters. The drones though are smaller, cheaper and more e cient. Flock Safety’s Communication Director Holly Beilin said the DFR is integrated with 911 and it can be deployed without human involvement. The drones o er public safety and other cities in Texas will look to use the technology, she said.
Flight-certi ed drone operators y the drones out of the police headquarters for drone ight operations. The ight room is out tted with screens that show calls, ight logs and the eyes of the drone. (Courtesy town of Prosper)
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Top call types
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The Prosper drone as a rst responder gets deployed for a number of reasons, including the following top call types. 1 Tra c stop: 56 2 Juvenile problem: 16 3 Disturbance: 11 4 Area surveillance: 9 5 Tra c hazard: 9
Total: 137
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6 Burglary alarm: 8 7 Suspicious vehicle: 8 8 Minor collision: 7 9 Suspicious person: 7 10 Motor vehicle accident: 6
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NOTE: THIS DATA IS FROM MAY 8JUNE 16
SOURCE: TOWN OF PROSPER COMMUNITY IMPACT
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