NYPD Launches Drone As First Responder Program

By Idy Perl

Mayor Adams and NYPD Interim Commissioner Tom Donlon announced the new “Drone as First Responder” program yesterday. 

This innovative program uses the latest drone technology to assist the NYPD’s emergency response. The drones will be deployed for various calls, such as searching for missing people, alerts from the gunshot detection system, robberies and other crimes while they’re still in progress, among other things. The drones will provide the officers with a high-definition audio and video feed in real time. 

The DFR program is already operational in three Brooklyn precincts, and one in the Bronx as well as in Manhattan. The drones can deploy quickly and get to the location of the crime right away to assist the officers responding. 

 “New York City is flying into the future as we keep New Yorkers safe,” Mayor Adams said.  “While the ‘Drone as First Responder’ program is what precision policing in the 21st century looks like, drone potential is really just taking off. We are leveraging the latest technology to enhance the NYPD’s emergency-response capabilities, remotely sending drones to the exact longitude and latitude of where an emergency call comes and sometimes in as little as a minute. These drones will mean more efficient policing and will help increase the safety of our responding NYPD officers and New Yorkers.”