More than a dozen law enforcement departments in Colorado plan to deploy drones instead of officers to respond to certain 911 calls.
The Denver Police Department and several law enforcement agencies in Colorado plan to deploy drones instead of police in situations where drones can provide information about incidents before police arrive on the scene.
The Denver Post reported that in some cases, drones will be the only response to some incidents if officers can determine from the air that there is no need to respond.
“Whether we like it or not, this is actually the future of law enforcement at some point,” said Jeremiah Gates, a sergeant in charge of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Imagine this: You call 911, and instead of a police officer, a drone buzzes to your doorstep.
This could soon become a reality in parts of Colorado's Front Range. https://t.co/rAFGJ5tIG2
— Denver Post (@denverpost) May 29, 2024
According to the New York Post:
Several local law enforcement agencies in Colorado, including the Denver Police Department (DPD), plan to deploy drones instead of police officers to respond to 911 calls.
“Whether we like it or not, this is really the future of law enforcement at some point,” said Sgt. Jeremiah Gates, who leads the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office's drone unit, told The Denver Post.
At least 20 agencies in Colorado's Front Range are already using drone technology for specific tasks, including searching for missing people, tracking fleeing suspects, mapping crime scenes and providing overhead surveillance during SWAT operations.
Now the sheriff's office is considering using drones to respond to some 911 calls, in situations where drones could provide useful information at crime scenes before police are deployed.
Police departments aren't the only ones using drones. Criminals are using it too.
The Gateway Pundit reported in March that Georgia law enforcement arrested 150 people accused of running a drone-based operation to smuggle guns, drugs and cell phones into Georgia prisons.
read:
Georgia authorities arrest 150 people accused of using drones to transport guns, drugs and cellphones to prisons