ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Police Department is now using drones as first responders and sending them to certain 911 calls to give officers a live view of the scene.
It’s also raising questions about privacy, but the department says safeguards are in place.
“What would you say to the citizens who see this as an invasion of privacy or an overstep?” Channel 9 asked OPD Police Chief Eric Smith. “We have a set of policies in place when we launch these drones,” he said. “I know people won’t believe us, we’re not looking in people’s windows, spying on people, we’re not just flying around just to fly around.”
Eleven drones are part of OPD’s Drone as First Responder Program and are positioned throughout different districts across the city.
“They respond to shots fired calls, burglaries in progress,” Chief Smith said. “The drone gets there first. Officers are battling traffic; they’re further away, the drone gets there first on scene, getting vital information.”
The program costs about $759,000 a year and was added through the same contracted company that provides OPD with tasers and body cameras.
When a qualifying call comes in, a nearby drone can be dispatched to specific GPS coordinates.
From the crime center, an FAA-certified pilot can control the drone, giving officers a live view of the scene, including whether a suspect runs, hides, or may have a weapon.
“The officers in the crime center tell the officers that shots are being fired from this location. We see what’s going on, so all officers respond from this direction,” Chief Smith said.
Chief Smith said that since testing the program in October, only one drone has crashed. He said it became disconnected from the system, but each drone is equipped with a parachute, so no injuries or damage were reported.
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