Colorado Agencies Planning to Start Drone as First Responder Programs

Several law enforcement agencies in Colorado, including the Denver Police Department, are making plans to start dispatching drones to 911 calls.

At least 20 agencies in Colorado’s Front Range already use drone technology for certain tasks, like searching for missing people, tracking fleeing suspects, mapping crime scenes or overhead surveillance during SWAT operations. Now the sheriff’s office is considering using them to respond to some 911 calls in situations where the drones might be able to provide useful information from the location of an incident before officers are deployed, the Denver Post reports.

Additionally, sending drones to calls that require less urgency could allow for officers to prioritize more pressing calls.

The DPD, which had previously shelved its only drone in 2018, citing constitutional concerns, is now looking to expand its drone program using a $100,000 grant from the Denver Police Foundation.

Gonshak said the DPD hopes to create a public-facing dashboard which would allow residents to track Denver police drone flights to ease concerns about potential violations of people’s personal freedoms.