Has Surpassed 1,000 Millions Supporting Patrol Operations
The City of Chula Vista, CA Police Department's Drone as First Responder (DFR) program has reached a major milestone, surpassing 1,000 missions in support of patrol operations. CVPD’s innovative DFR program is part of the FAA's UAS Integration Pilot program (IPP), which began in 2018.
The desired primary outcome of the program is to provide better real-time intelligence to first responders in order to respond with the best tactics and resources. DFR proved to be an immediate success by providing real-time data to officers and supervisors on emergency calls while continuing to mitigate risks to the community.
In December 2015 the Chula Vista Police Department formed the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Committee to study the use of the technology in its public safety operations. UAS Committee members met dozens of times to study best practices, policies, and procedures regarding the use of UAS technology in law enforcement. A special focus of the team’s research was an effort to address concerns about public trust, civil liberties, and the public’s right to privacy during the operation of CVPD UAS systems.
Prior to implementing its UAS Program, CVPD discussed its plan for UAS operations in the media, in public forums, and in posted information about the project on the CVPD website. This outreach included a mechanism for the public to contact or email the UAS Team to comment on CVPD’s UAS policy, or to express concerns or provide feedback. It is important to note that, out of respect for civil liberties and personal privacy, CVPD’s UAS Policy specifically prohibits the use of UAS Systems for general surveillance or general patrol operations. After exhaustive planning and research, CVPD activated its UAS Program in the summer of 2017 to support tactical operations by CVPD first responders.
Since October 22, 2018, with strong support from the community, The Chula Vista Police Department has been deploying drones from the rooftop of the Police Department Headquarters to 911 calls and other reports of emergency incidents such as crimes in progress, fires, traffic accidents, and reports of dangerous subjects. This Drones as a First Responder (DFR) System is transformational. It provides the ability to see what is going on at an incident before emergency personnel arrive on scene. In addition to the overhead perspective that traditional air support has always provided, DFR allows a trained incident commander to “virtually” arrive on scene first, sometimes minutes before officers are in harm’s way.
Television station KTLA reports that the DFR program has resulted in 130 arrests, according to the CVPD. The department cited an average response time of about two minutes as a reason for the success.
(Source: CVPD and as cited. Image provided by the CVPD)
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