Called 911? A drone may now be the first response

Detailed summary

Police departments from New York to North Carolina are facing a shortage of cops - and drones have been made part of the solution. But the rapid rollout of the tech raises fresh questions about privacy and surveillance, Jasmine Fernández reports

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In a growing number of U.S. cities, the first responder on the scene of a 911 call is no longer a police car but rather a drone launched from a nearby precinct roof.

From departments in Chula Vista, California, to larger agencies like the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the NYPD, law enforcement is increasingly turning to rooftop-launched aircraft to cut response times, give dispatchers live overhead video in minutes, and provide early intel before cruisers even roll out.

Proponents say the technology cuts response times and relieves pressure on depleted police forces but privacy advocates warn that airborne cameras are expanding public surveillance faster than state laws and local regulations can adapt.

Brandon Henderson, a criminal defense attorney at HMW Law in Cleveland, Ohio, whose practice involves challenging police technology used as evidence, told The Independent that drones offer clear benefits and can “puts eyes on a scene faster without putting help there.”

But he added: “It cannot make an arrest, secure a scene, or put hands on a patient.”

In St. Louis, Missouri — a city that has battled severe police staffing shortages and high violent crime rates — a new drone program was adopted earlier this month by city police.

The “Aerial Response Unit” of two drones, operated by department drone pilots, takes off from launch pads on the North and Central Patrol division’s roof to answer 911 calls and assist ground response. Within hours of the program’s approval, drone pilots made their first flights and helped officers in the search for a missing boy who was safely returned home.

“While officers searched on the ground, the drones checked several locations the boy was known to frequent or may have traveled to,” St. Louis Police Department said.

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