Drones in Public Safety: The Sky’s Still the Limit!

By now, my faithful readers understand that drones can be used for bad purposes, but they are also amazing tools! In this blog, I am going to explore how drones can be used to improve public safety and how they are rapidly becoming the new “go-to” tool for law enforcement agencies across the US. 

Think about it, in the critical moments after an emergency occurs, every second counts. What if a first responder could arrive on scene in less than 60 seconds? With a drone, police officers can do just that! Then the cameras on the drone can provide crucial information about what resources are needed (and notably, which are not) and they can even give instructions via the built-in microphone. These drones can provide real support before human teams can reach a far away, congested or hard-to-access location. 

This opportunity for dramatic improvement in policing can be delivered by Drones as First Responders, also know as DFR – technology that is transforming emergency services and, additionally, even helping to keep police officers safe in dangerous situations, like active shooter scenarios.

How Drones Are Changing Emergency Response

DFR drones in use today drones are far more than flying toys. They can be equipped with thermal imaging, high-resolution cameras, medical delivery capabilities, and real-time communication tools. As such, they are able to:

• Provide immediate aerial surveillance in disaster scenarios

• Locate missing persons in tough terrain

• Assess an emergency

• Chase or find a suspect that is trying to evade capture

• Identify and even speak to an active shooter without putting a police officer in harm’s way

• Deliver critical medical supplies to remote or dangerous areas

Flying Defibrillator

Ok – this section doesn’t necessarily fit into the flow of the blog but when I stumbled on this use case in my research I couldn’t believe my eyes…It is basically a drone that comes to you AND then turns into a defibrillator!  And if you do not know how to operate a defibrillator, that’s ok!  The drone (via a distant emergency operator) tells you how. Not kidding! This video is worth the time – check it out!

Already In Use Today

Although the flying defibrillator may not be approved by the US FDA just yet, fire departments in California have already integrated drone technology to map wildfire spreads, identify hotspots, and guide evacuation efforts. In Colorado, search and rescue (SAR) teams use thermal imaging drones to find stranded hikers in mountainous regions where traditional search methods are slow and risky. And in Texas, law enforcement agents are using drones to respond to car accidents and more.

Could Drones Be the Future of Public Safety?

As drones, or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to evolve at the rapid pace we have observed over the past few years, we could be moving to a world where emergency response is faster and safer than ever before and, at the same time, we may see better outcomes. Some people fear the march of technology because they feel it is taking over or that humans are no longer required. I think the opposite: Drones leveraging the latest technology could be a tremendous tool for good, supporting police to make the public safer than ever before.