SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily)— The Scottsdale Police Department recently announced new technology for using drones as first responders.

“The chief wants to make it very, very difficult to commit a crime and get away with it, and that’s exactly what he’s doing through this use of technology,” said Rich Slavin, Scottsdale’s deputy police chief.

The program, known as Drone as First Responder, or DFR, will be the first of its kind here in Arizona.

Instead of an officer having to be on site to operate the drone, Real Time Crime Center teams can operate it remotely and report information back to officers before they head to the scene.

“It is mounted on a building and the drone can be flown by a pilot with the appropriate approval from the FAA,” Slavin said.

The drone’s first deployment location will be at the Scottsdale Center of Performing Arts in Old Town.

Slavin said since nearly 50% of service calls come from within this region, it is a good location to test this new technology.

According to official information, the drone can cover a distance of up to 4.8 kilometers in less than 85 seconds after takeoff.

“When seconds count, police are minutes away, so by the time we get to the scene, we have to figure out what’s going on. I can’t just send a drone into the air. I can give the officers on the scene real-time information so they can get to the right place as quickly as possible and understand the call before they get there and resolve it,” said Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther.

Slavin addressed privacy concerns, saying that after deployment, the drone’s camera will not be pointed downward until it arrives at the scene.

All pilots are required to keep a logbook in which all information about the time of a flight is recorded and made available to the public.

The drone costs a total of $308,000. The Scottsdale Police Department is currently conducting test runs but plans to launch the first drone within the next five to ten days.

It is hoped that this new technology will help reduce response times and ensure the safety of our officers when responding to a call.

“We know time and time again that drones are beneficial to patrol. They ensure their safety in tactical environments, but also for the community,” said Slavin.

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