The New Orleans City Council today will discuss the NOPD's plans to use drones when responding to crimes reported in the French Quarter.
Similar to what the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has now, NOPD wants to be able to dispatch a drone to get to the scene of a 911 call.
The French Quarter Management District has offered to put up to money to have a "drone as first responder" program in the Vieux Carré.
Michael Hecht of the NOLA Coalition says these aren't spy-bots, but a means of getting law enforcement eyes on a reported crime scene as soon as possible.
"Not facial recognition, it is not surveillance, it's just assessing the situation, and doing it in a way that's quick and safe," he told WWL's Newell Normand.
Hecht says ultimately, he'd like to see a city-wide drone as first responder program, similar to the one in Jefferson Parish.
