Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
A hot potato: The time it takes for police to arrive at the scene of a crime can make a vital difference. But if they could assess the situation first, a more appropriate response can be planned. That's what one county in Texas had in mind when it decided to deploy drones as first responders to 911 calls.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is rolling out an ambitious drone pilot program that aims to get eyes on emergency situations faster by going aerial before human officers can arrive on scene.
The innovative approach is intended to help law enforcement keep pace with the county's booming population growth. By the Census Bureau's latest 2023 estimate, over 711,000 people now call Montgomery County home – an increase of over 60,000 residents compared to two years prior, in 2021.
"As cops, we drive the same roads, we're stuck in the same traffic," Lieutenant Scott Spencer told the Houston Chronicle, spelling out the challenges created by rapid expansion outpacing infrastructure. "Having a program like this gets us eyes without cops having to drive fast to be able to go to a scene."
Photos of the police drone show it in the familiar police-black paint with the words "Montgomery," "County," and "Constable" embellished across each wing. The drone has a camera mounted up front alongside lights possibly used to illuminate scenes at night. The footage is relayed to a remote control with an embedded screen.
Samuel Harrison, who oversees the drone program for Montgomery County, notes the agency has already been using the technology for duties such as search and rescue operations. But this dedicated 911 response program represents a major escalation in their utilization.
The concept of deploying drones as first responders has been taking off with police departments across the country. In 2018, the Chula Vista Police in California pioneered one of the earliest such programs after securing federal waivers to fly unmanned aerial vehicles beyond line-of-sight. More recently, Colorado expressed interest in the idea too.
One startup, Brinc Drones, even unveiled drones designed specifically for 911 calls back in May with a 70-second claimed response time. They can also deliver life-saving medical supplies. While the Montgomery implementation doesn't appear to do anything beyond relaying a feed to the police, delivering first aid could be an excellent capability to explore next.
Not everyone is excited to see drones patrolling neighborhoods. Civil liberties groups have raised alarms about the privacy implications of these airborne surveillance programs. One attorney for the ACLU of Texas told the Houston Chronicle that such drones as "costly gimmicks that waste resources, infringe on individual rights, and lead to concerning shifts in policing practices."
Image credit: Houston Chronicle