More eyes in the sky: NYPD expanding use of 'drones as first-responders'
The NYPD will begin using drones to find lost children, search for suspects, respond to other emergencies and patrol neighborhoods as part of an expanded program to use the flying remote controlled vehicles, Mayor Adams and police officials said Wednesday.
The program is an expansion of a pilot program police officials have described as "drones as first-responders," which began by using the devices to respond to gunshots in five precincts. The program is led by NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry, who manages a growing deployment of drones to look for sharks and spot subway surfers.
The expansion now includes sending drones on all kinds of regular 911 calls.
"These drones are remotely controlled by trained NYPD personnel who see a live feed enabling them to make initial scene assessments," Adams said Wednesday at a news conference announcing the expanded program.
The drones now launch from the rooftops of five precincts: the 67th, 71st, and 75th in Brooklyn, the 48th in the Bronx and the Central Park precinct. All the drones are controlled from a room at police headquarters in Lower Manhattan.
"I want the drone team to be on patrol like a regular police car that you see driving up and down," Daughtry said. "I want them to do the same thing, looking for any type of anomalies, looking for any fights. Just I want them to be on patrol to add an extra layer of eyes up there."
The program launched in late June and was unveiled when it expanded to the Central Park precinct, where police said crime had increased . On Wednesday, Daughtry credited bringing drones to Central Park for decreasing crime. He said the expanded program now includes a fleet of 109 drones flown by roughly 60 police officers certified to fly drones by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Daughtry and Adams recounted several anecdotal instances where drones were used to search for brush fires, to alert a family to a child in danger, and to search for an assault suspect who officials said fled before police cars arrived.
"The drones watched him take off his clothes and put them into his bag as he walked into the bodega," Daughtry said. "When he walked back outside, he was met by uniformed police officers where he was placed under arrest."
Interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon said so far the drone program has responded to 2,300 calls for service.
Daughtry didn't yet have data on whether the drones have reduced police response time, but said initial impressions suggest response times are slightly faster with drones.
"Yes, they are a little better," he said.
