On a typical night just north of Washington, a dozen drone flights quietly take off as part of a major police trend spreading across the country. And the agency behind them — the Montgomery County Police Department — plans to double its program over the next few months.
Washington
More police drones will take flight in the skies above Montgomery County
Across the country, thousands of public safety agencies are using drones in some form, according to drone industry officials. Many do so after an incident is well underway. Montgomery’s program is designed to get its drones to the scene ahead of responding ground units by launching them during the opening seconds of a 911 call.
Now nine months old, the program has become a national leader among some 50 programs using drones as “first responders” that are either in development or operating in the United States, according to the officials. Montgomery’s two responder drones are equipped with video cameras that can zoom in on what someone is holding in their hand and can track their movements. Drone operators can also send the video feed to the ground officers’ laptops, tablets or cellphones.
The department surpassed 1,000 flights this month, and says the technology has enabled it to not just catch criminals but also to quickly determine which calls do not require a police response, so that cruiser units can be sent elsewhere and officers’ time isn’t wasted. “The name of the game is speed,” said Capt. Jason Cokinos, supervisor of Montgomery’s drone responder operations.
Here is a look at the program, the expansion plans and civil liberties concerns.