Arlington Police have expanded their use of drones. The department is the first in Texas and among the first in the country to operate drones remotely. Until now, certified officers had to carry drones in their cars and set them up at a scene.
The FAA requires drones to be operated within the pilot's line of sight. Arlington Police have received a waiver to fly drones over greater distances.
Arlington Police say the waiver can allow certified drone pilots working the city's real-time crime center to launch drones from two fixed locations to respond to calls in progress like assaults, burglaries and missing people. They say the drones can fly ahead of officers navigating traffic, Video can be fed to officers in the crime center, and they can provide information to those responding.
"Our job is to deliver to those officers the best information we can as quickly as we can," says Sergeant Eric Borton.
Borton says the "Drone as a First Responder" program will focus on critical calls.
"The better information we can give our officers while they respond to calls, the safer the outcome is for those officers, the suspects and for the community overall," he says.
During a demonstration Wednesday, Arlington Police showed video of how a drone could provide video of a suspect running into a building to hide and where officers could find him.
Chief Al Jones says drones will not replace live officers at a scene. Instead, he says they will provide video to the real-time crime center that can help officers determine whether a crime is actually in progress or give a strategy for deescalation.
"I want to be perfectly clear. Dones are not here to replace our traditional police response. I believe this technology just enhances this response," he says.
Drone operators in the crime center have received training and are licensed by the FAA. Jones says the drones will not record video on the way to a scene, every response will be logged, and the drones will not be used for general surveillance.
"Arlington Police Department is committed to protecting the privacy of residents and visitors," he says. "We've put a number of safeguards in place to make sure our [Drone as a First Responder] program is used appropriately."
Arlington Police say the city spent a total of $50,000 for the drones and two docking stations. They have 15 drones available and 40 staff who are trained to fly them.