LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department revealed a new program they said could help enhance public safety and security around the community Thursday morning during a press conference at their headquarters.
The program is called “Mobile Drones as First Responders” and is intended to provide units with drones so that officers can use them more regularly during certain operations.
“The basic concept is this, we equip a patrol unit with two officers in it with these high-tech drones. This is a marked unit and they are responding to everything from a foot pursuit to a violent crime in progress, and as they respond and arrive there, they are able to deploy a drone from the back of their vehicle and instantly provide overwatch for officers,” said Metro Deputy Chief Dori Koren. “ If there is a violent crime, if there is a major incident that is threatening our community members, that we have this capability to be able to respond quickly, deploy these types of assets, and help enhance the safety in that area.”
During Thursday’s press conference, Metro said the department had been using drones to help with multiple different operations and investigations for years around the community.
Koren said the drones help officers get real-time intelligence during events like the Super Bowl, Formula 1, search and rescue, shootings and SWAT calls.
“When we deploy our SWAT team, it’s usually in the most dangerous circumstances. In many cases, it’s an armed individual who is not only dangerous to the police but offering danger to our community as a whole and to themselves. By the ability of having a drone, not only are we able to launch these drones in these types of events and provide our SWAT officers with real-time intelligence so they can make better decisions but are also able to de-escalate situations that previously wouldn’t have been able to. And some cases, we have been able to deploy a drone into a home, or into a structure and be able to clear that area limiting the physical contact between our SWAT officers and the armed individual. And many of those cases, because of that capability, we are able to save that person’s life and prevent them from harming others. In some situations, we are also able to use drones to help bridge the gap in our negotiation efforts. Something as simple as ensuring that there’s an ability to communicate with an armed individual,” Koren said.
Metro said that pilots will need to go through FAA certifications to be able to fly around the community. In addition to the FAA training, pilots will also go through additional provided by the department.
Koren said the Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did a “comprehensive evaluation” of their drone policies and procedures.
“Their evaluation was consistent with what we wanted, which is that we have robust safeguards and we are being very measured and smart about how we approach these new advance technology,” Koren said.
Las Vegas residents like Blu Fillengame believe the program will bring a positive change the community.
“I think it’s an important thing. I think it’s helped a lot of situations. You know, you watch on TV, you see different scenarios where Metro SWAT has been involved and the drone has a better eye. You can see things that you can’t see on the ground. It has been very instrumental in a lot of different situations,” Fillengame said.
However, Fillengame said the drones could raise questions about the community’s right to privacy.
“There has to be a line drawn where we are going to ensure that we are not going to make you feel like you are being invaded. That this is used for law enforcement, not to go and spy on you in your house,” Fillengame said.
Meantime, Metro said that privacy is a top priority when using drones.
“Ultimately, as we launch this program, we will make sure privacy civil rights, civil liberties, and transparency are of equal importance,” Koren said.
Metro adds that flying the drones could be another cost-effective way to keep the community safe.
