BY SAMANTHA DOUTY
Zooming out
The takeaway
There are a number of call types that can war- rant a drone as a first responder launch, Lewbel said. These include: • Missing or endangered person searches • Scene assessment before officer arrival • Tactics planning around suspect containment “Each agency determines when and how drones are deployed under their own public safety policies,” he said. Other North Texas entities that use DFRs include Arlington, Euless, Roanoke and Irving. In Prosper, officials have reported a 71% drop in response times, with a drone arriving on the scene first in 37% of service calls, Prosper Police Sgt. Keith Mann said. The program has been so successful that Prosper is now starting construction on a second launch site, which is to be completed early this year, Mann said. Prosper will continue to partner with the Frisco
All Flock service calls data
Once the six drones are implemented, they will be used to bolster the existing drone program, Mattei said. The drones can also help with fire department calls. “We anticipate that any call where having a drone and its operator able to provide information and intelligence [is] eligible for a drone,” he said. The drones will only be used for response to calls for services and will only record video when it’s relevant to a call to protect community privacy, Mattei said. They will not be used for patrolling or looking for crime, he said. “Implementing new technologies means giving public safety agencies tools that help them be more informed, more effective and safer,” Lewbel said.
Flock DFR as first responder Non-DFR first responder
Calls resolved with dispatching patrol Calls resolved without dispatching patrol
22%
20%
78%
80%
seconds average time to reach calls for service
increase in subjects located
86
89%
SOURCE: FLOCK SAFETY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
PD on service calls including the DFR program, Mann said. “It really is a force multiplier; an officer safety multiplier as well,” he said. “Drones allow officers to see things they couldn’t see from the ground.”
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