Utilization of Drones as Primary Responders in Colorado Police Departments
Colorado police agencies, including Denver’s own department, are on the brink of deploying drones as their frontline responders to incoming 911 calls. “This really is the future of law enforcement … Colorado police agencies, including Denver's own department, are planning to use drones as their frontline responders to incoming 911 calls. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office's drone unit is using drones to assess situations from the air before an officer's presence is required at the scene of a 911 call. The drones could also be dispatched to non-emergency incidents, allowing officers to focus their attention on calls that demand immediate response. However, concerns about drones' use by government bodies and potential infringement on personal liberties are rising, with an ACLU of Colorado lawyer expressing deep apprehension over widespread drone use. The long-term vision includes deploying drones quickly for critical or emergency services throughout the city. The Denver Police Department hopes to establish a public dashboard to monitor drone operations and guard against privacy invasions.
Publié : il y a 12 mois par Aditya dans World
Colorado police agencies, including Denver’s own department, are on the brink of deploying drones as their frontline responders to incoming 911 calls.
“This really is the future of law enforcement at some point, whether we like it or so not,” stated Sgt. Jeremiah Gates from Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office’s drone unit, as reported by The Denver Post.
Drone technology is already in use by approximately 20 Front Range agencies in Colorado for varied tasks such as locating missing people, pursuing suspects on the run, crime scene documentation, and aerial oversight during SWAT team operations.
The initiative now is to leverage this technology to assess situations from the air before an officer’s presence is required at the scene of a 911 call.
Moreover, drones could be dispatched to non-emergency incidents, allowing officers to focus their attention on calls that demand immediate response.
“If there’s a report of a suspicious vehicle, I can fly the drone over it, verify that there’s nothing amiss, and never bother sending a patrol car – and I can tick it off the list,” explained Gates. “It’s a matter of resource management.”
Despite these developments, concerns about drones’ constant use by government bodies and potential infringement on personal liberties are rising. An ACLU of Colorado lawyer expressed deep apprehension over widespread drone use in the state’s skies.
“The implications for First Amendment activities – speech, organizing, protesting – are troubling. Surveillance changes how people act, including when done by drones,” Laura Moraff warned.
Departments are mindful of these concerns. Although Denver PD retired their solo drone back in 2018 over constitutional fears, they are now looking to broaden their program backed by a generous grant. “The long-term vision includes deploying drones quickly for critical or emergency services throughout the city,” noted Phil Gonshak, a DPD director.
Conversations around replacing police response with drones are unfounded, assured Gonshak. Nonetheless, the department could reroute patrol officers away from incidents that drones verify as non-issues.
With an eye towards transparency, the DPD also hopes to establish a public dashboard to monitor drone operations and guard against privacy invasions.
Municipalities outside Colorado like Chula Vista, California, have shown the real-world benefits, citing thousands of avoided police call-outs thanks to drones since 2018.