NYPD to use UAVs for 911 calls

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The NYPD will soon improve its crime-fighting efforts with the Drone as First Responder (DFR) pilot program. Announced by New York Police Department (NYPD) Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry, the program will deploy UAVs in response to specific 911 calls for serious crimes in progress, such as shootings, robberies, and missing persons.

UAVs will launch from five precincts: the 48th Precinct in the Bronx, the 67th, 71st and 75th Precincts in Brooklyn, and Central Park, New York. The UAVs will provide real-time video and telemetry to officers to enhance situational awareness and safety.

“The information provided by DFR will be shared with responding officers. It will enhance officers’ situational awareness as they arrive on scene, promote officer safety, and help us deploy resources more effectively,” Daughtry said.

The NYPD uses 85 UAVs for various tasks, including monitoring major events and inspecting structural stability after accidents. Despite a 400% increase in UAV use last year, Daughtry emphasized they cannot be used for “warrantless surveillance” or “traffic enforcement.”

According to the NYPD, these UAVs will be deployed in response to 911 calls for service within the next few months. The program will start with four precincts in Brooklyn and the Bronx, chosen “based on recent crime trends.”