Texas Police Force Expands Drone Program 'to Enhance Officer Response'

Arlington police on Wednesday announced the expansion of its Drone as a First Responder program so the department can now respond to more calls for help in the city than before, according to officials.

“I want to be clear that DFR does not replace our traditional police response,” police Chief Al Jones said. “But this technology presents significant opportunities for us to better serve our community, which is why we are embracing it. The faster we can put eyes on a situation, the safer the outcome for everybody.”

Under the department’s drone program, the mechanical drones will be used “to enhance officer response.”

Arlington officers who are drone pilots can fly the drones to a scene, provide a live visual of the area from above and give real-time information to the responding officers, the department said in a news release.

Because drones can reach scenes faster than an officer in a police cruiser, the use of them can help officers locate suspects more quickly, make more knowledgeable decisions and better protect themselves and the community, officials said.

The drone program was initially implemented to help respond to the heightened numbers of calls during the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve weekends, police said. Now, the program can be used for a variety of criminal calls including burglaries, aggravated assaults, missing persons and more, according to the release.

Arlington police is among the first of law enforcement agencies in the country to receive a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate the DFR program, the department said.

Officials said the waiver allows the Arlington Police Department to fly drones at greater distances than what is typically authorized and to be able to remotely pilot the drones from inside of the department’s Real Time Crime Center, which boosts the effectiveness of the program.

Police have installed DFR docks at two locations where drone pilots can instantly launch a drone, the news release said. The drones can travel up to a 1.5-mile radius from the docks and reach speeds up to 50 mph.

Officials said the department is “committed to protecting the privacy rights” of the community and has set up safeguards that ensure the DFR program is “appropriately administered.” Additionally, Arlington PD is required by law to submit a report to the state detailing all drone deployments once every two years.

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