BY SAMANTHA DOUTY
A closer look
suspects with federal warrants, he said. The town’s Flock cameras, which read license plates and run it through a database, got a hit on a plate in May and the drone immediately deployed. O cers were not near the area so the drone followed the vehicle until an o cer on the ground was available, resulting in the person’s arrest, Mann said. “This program is an absolute leg up over the reaction law enforcement that I grew up with,” he said.
The o cers who operate the DFR drones must be certi ed by the Federal Aviation Administra- tion, Mann said. In the department, there are three ight-certi ed o cers who man the drones. They operate the drones out of the police headquarters. For privacy purposes, the drone sent out does not record until it gets on the scene, Mann said. For the drone to be deployed a pilot must be present in the ight room. The drones have already helped apprehend
Reduction in response time
Now: 225-second average response time Before: 608-second average response time
63%
First on the scene
34%
190 total calls responded to 10 calls cleared without patrol resources
SOURCE: TOWN OF PROSPER COMMUNITY IMPACT
What they’re saying
Looking ahead
“In emergency situations, every second counts. The ability to respond
The drones can y up to 400 feet and operate in up to 30-35 mile-per-hour winds. The drone can be deployed for up to 40 minutes. If the drone runs low on batteries, it can return to its home dock in under two minutes and replace its battery. The goal is to get additional drones for Fire Stations No. 2 and No. 3 to split Prosper’s coverage east and west. These can be used to access accidents and other needs, like building res and tra c accidents. The drones will not only be used by the police department. They can also be deployed if there is a house re and identify where the re is located using its thermal cameras, Fire Chief Stuart Blasingame said.
Getting airborne
swiftly and e ectively can mean the di erence between life and death.”
Spring Flock Safety Cameras implemented Nov. 26 Council approved Flock Safety Inc. for a drone and accompanying software May 8 DFR launches May 13
2023
STUART BLASINGAME, PROSPER FIRE CHIEF
2024
“It’s a giant leap forward not only in terms citizen safety and [safety person we may potentially o cer safety but
of
2025
[in]
of] the
Additional grant funds requested
be
dealing with.” KEITH MANN, PROSPER POLICE SGT.
SOURCE: TOWN OF PROSPER COMMUNITY IMPACT
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3248 S. Preston Rd. Ste 240 Celina, Texas 75009 Bus. 972-382-6070 www.HunterGoldsworthy.com Hunter Goldsworthy Agent
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PROSPER CELINA EDITION
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