When someone calls for help, the time until support arrives can be everything, and that wait doesn’t always resolve with a patrol car turning the corner. In Dearborn, Michigan, a city bordering Detroit, that first responder doesn’t have to be an officer anymore, because a drone can take off sooner and position itself over the scene within minutes.
The idea is simple in appearance: sending a flying camera as first aid to observe from above and transmit images instantly while the situation remains open. This approach alters the usual response order and makes the drone the first line of support when problems arise. For that initial intervention to make sense, a system capable of launching almost immediately and maintaining a stable connection with those coordinating the response is needed.
A U.S. Locality Bets on Aerial Apparatus That Arrives Before Official Vehicles
Dearborn has launched a program called Drone as First Responder in conjunction with manufacturer Skydio to deploy unmanned aircraft before police arrive at the scene of an incident, according to Futurism. The city government indicated in a statement that it will install stations from which these devices can take off and reach the designated point in 2.5 minutes, with real-time video transmission.
The official forecast suggests they will be used in reports of violent crimes, traffic accidents, missing persons, and robberies in vehicles or properties. The plan is presented as the first of its kind in the state of Michigan and is part of a strategy to gather prior information before officers set foot on the ground.
The system relies on a Skydio platform that includes remote-controlled quadcopters and bases called dock hives, which function as automated launch points. Each of these stations can operate with temperatures ranging from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 122, a range that is tested in Michigan winters.
The design, in its shape and color, recalls the ED-209 that appeared in the film RoboCop, and each time one of these devices takes off, the base emits flashing lights that illuminate the sky. The reference to the film makes sense, especially considering that Detroit unveiled a 3.35-meter statue dedicated to the character from the 1987 film directed by Paul Verhoeven in December.
This Project Is Already in Other Areas With Great Results
Skydio claims on its website that its drones are already active in more than 1,000 police departments in the United States, with a presence in both small towns like Redmond, Washington, and large urban areas like Los Angeles, and Cincinnati.
In Colorado, Anita Koester, chief of the Lakewood Police Department’s support services division, stated in a testimony that “in 22 weeks we have managed more than 1200 service calls in our deployment area.” In that same speech, she added that “we have closed 41% of those calls without needing to send officers.”
She also explained that “now, 80% of the time the drone is the first to arrive” and that “we have made 115 arrests, 100% because the drone was on the scene and was the decisive component to effect that arrest.”
Authorities Defend That This Tool Improves Prior Assessment and Reduces Physical Interventions
In Dearborn, police chief Issa Shahin stated in a statement that “this program will enable us to assess situations almost instantly when someone calls for help.” In that same statement, he assured that “by supporting our officers in real-time as critical situations develop, it acts as a force multiplier and reduces response time.”
The city affirms that this project can facilitate de-escalation in certain situations by offering a preview of the scenario, with the expectation of decreasing the probability of use of force and resolving reports safely for those involved.
However, it is difficult to measure its effectiveness accurately because, although law enforcement agencies positively value the system, data from Police Scorecard places the departments of Dearborn along with those of Albuquerque and St. Louis, which have also implemented this drone system, among the most expensive per capita in the country and with low results in the rate of use of force during arrests.
The deployment of these devices involves expense, but it can also reduce the physical presence of officers in certain interventions and modify the way reports are managed in those cities.
