The drones will be used in the Prosper police and fire departments and are the first drones in the state that can be deployed out of the line of sight of the operator, officials announced during a May 20 press conference. Other drones must be deployed within the line of sight of the operator.
The system will allow first responders to assess emergency situations through the high-definition camera and thermal camera attached to the drone before sending human first responders to the scene.
“This will revolutionize our response time,” Prosper Police Chief Doug Kowalski said. “We can really leverage this technology and make it safer for the community.”
The drone can be deployed and on the scene within a 3-mile radius within 90 seconds.
The overview
The drone essentially takes the place of a first responder on every shift, which is about four officers, Kowalski said.
The drones are funded through the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant. The drones have been purchased with the grant through Flock, which also provided the license plate cameras Prosper has already implemented.
The Town Council applied for additional grant funding during its May 13 council meeting.
How it works
There are several types of drones that are being implemented by the police and fire department that vary in size. Smaller drones can be used to maneuver in tight spaces like the inside of a car before officers are deployed, which will help maintain their safety, Kowalski said.
It can also be used in active shooter scenarios, Kowalski said. The drone can fly into a building, identify the shooter and where they are located before deploying officers.
“I can’t put a price tag on that,” he said.
The medium size drones can be deployed from the back of police cruisers that are equipped with monitoring devices. The larger drone will be deployed from the police station’s roof, Kowalski said. The goal is to get additional drones for Fire Stations No. 2 and 3 to split Prosper’s coverage east and west. These can be used to access accidents and other needs like building fires and traffic accidents.
“It’s not a matter if an accident happens, but when,” he said.
Kowalski said the drones can be used similarly to police helicopters, which have been used in policing for decades. The drones though are smaller, cheaper and more efficient for smaller departments like Prosper.
He said he knows privacy is a concern but the drones only start recording once they are at the intended scene and not on its flight path. Flight paths are logged on Prosper’s website. All flights are done by licensed pilots in the police department and all follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines.
“By integrating cutting edge technology into our public safety operations, we’re taking a bold step forward in safeguarding our town and ensuring that Prosper remains the safest place to live, work and raise a family,” Mayor David Bristol said.
Numbers of note
The drones can fly up to 400 feet and operate in up to 30-35 mile per hour winds.
The department has two patrol drones and three FAA certified pilots, with other applicants in the pipeline. The drone can be deployed for up to 40 minutes.
If the drone runs low on batteries, it can return to its home dock in under two minutes and replace its battery before returning to the scene, officials said.
Zooming out
The drones will not only be used by the police department. They can also be deployed if there is a house fire and identify where the fire is located using its thermal cameras, Fire Chief Stuart Blasingame said.
This will allow firefighters to identify the fire before entering the structure and enhance their safety and resident safety, he said.
“In emergency situations, every second counts,” Blasingame said. “The ability to respond swiftly and effectively can mean the difference between life and death.”
