Courtesy of the City of Dearborn.
FOX 2 - The City of Dearborn announced its Drone as First Responder program which it says is the first of its kind in the state.
The backstory:
The aerial drones can deploy from anywhere in the city within 2.5 minutes to provide information during violent crimes, traffic crashes, missing persons and property break-ins.
Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said in a statement that the Skydio aerial drones not only helps with the safety of residents, but it reduces uncertainty for responding police or first responders.
"This program will enable us to assess situations almost instantly when someone calls for help," he said. "By supporting our officers in real-time as critical situations develop, it acts as a force multiplier, ensuring we cut down on response time, allocate resources appropriately, and provide robust service every time."
The City of Dearborn says it is the first city in the state to deploy the program at "full-scale." Flight data will be made public through a dashboard in an effort to showcase the program's transparency.
Courtesy of the City of Dearborn.
The drone program will be used in multiple scenarios including:
- Aerial inspection of rivers, drains, culverts, and flood-prone areas during rain events.
- Damage assessment after storms, fires, or large events.
- Infrastructure surveys and construction progress documentation.
- Illegal dumping assessments and right-of-way monitoring.
Dearborn officials say the program allows faster resource deployment and eligibility documentation for state/federal assistance.
Taylor police utilize a drone program, but it is unclear the difference of the "full scale" description in which Dearborn police plans to use theirs.
Related: Taylor police drone crashes, department says online video is fake
The police department plans to utilize the DFR program to assess situations and allocate personnel appropriately when calls can be resolved remotely, freeing officers to attend to higher priority incidents.
The City of Dearborn Police Department’s investments in state-of-the art investigative and response technologies have yielded year-over-year decline in violent crimes and traffic injury incidents.
Courtesy of the City of Dearborn.
The Source: Information for this report is from the City of Dearborn.