In an effort to modernize and expand its policing capabilities, the Scottsdale Police Department is about to deploy a high-tech drone as a first responder, aiming to provide rapid assessment during emergency situations. The initiative, known as Drone as First Responder (DFR), will see drones launched to crime scenes even before the officers arrive, a move underlined by an effort to enhance situational awareness and expedite response times.
The department's assistant chief, Rich Slavin, highlighted the strategy behind the deployment, saying, "The chief wants to make it very, very hard to commit crime and get away with it, and this layering of technology does that," in a statement obtained by AZ Family. The drones will be operated from the Real Time Crime Center, catering to nearly 50% of the service calls which come from the chosen test area, the vicinity of Old Town.
Notably, the DFR program will station the inaugural drone atop the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Slavin remarked in a Phoenix New Times article, that "Flying 56 to 58 miles per hour, it can be anywhere in its operating area in about a minute, and start giving us real-time information about what’s happening on the ground." The drones' rapid deployment capabilities potentially cut down response times significantly, with a precision that affects how officers engage upon arrival at a scene.
Selectively acknowledging privacy concerns, the Scottsdale Police have outlined specific protocols for the drones’ operation to mitigate potential intrusions. According to Assistant Chief Slavin, the drones’ cameras will not orient downwards until they reach the emergency site, hoping to alleviate concerns about surveillance overreach. All flight logs, as per Slavin's statements to AZ Family, will be recorded and made available to the public.
This technology does not come without cost; each drone requires an investment of $308,000, which includes the unmanned aerial vehicle and its docking station. Scottsdale Police continue to perform test runs and expect to have the first drone operational within the next five to ten days. Chief Jeff Walther stated in an interview with Phoenix New Times, that deploying drones is a measure that time and time again proves beneficial for both officer safety and community protection.
