Pilot Program Puts UAVs In The Role Of First Responders

The Chula Vista, CA police department has launched a pilot program that places UAVs in the role of first responders, and so far the aircraft are proving their worth.

The San Diego Tribune reports that the department is dispatching aircraft for some 911 calls. In the first week of the program, the aircraft responded to 30 such calls, including on for felony domestic violence.

In that case, a drone hovered over a canyon where a man suspected of stabbing a woman with a knife was hiding out in a red tent. Officers used the drone's camera to determine when the man was unarmed, and he was taken into custody without incident.

The program falls under the FAA's IPP initiative that the agency hopes will eventually lead to the integration of drones in the National Airspace. Currently, the aircraft must stay within a one-mile radius of police headquarters, and trained operators are standing by to take control of the aircraft should anything go wrong. But FAA Program Manager Darryl Adams told the San Diego Tribune that the goal is for the aircraft to be launched from the control center to anywhere in the city without human intervention. He said that could be within six months or a year.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report