A police department in Maryland is expanding a drone program used to respond to 911 calls instead of sending officers to the scene.
The Montgomery County Department of Police started a drone response program in November 2023 in Silver Spring.
Police statistics show the drone has an average resonse time of around a minute to get to the crime scene.
The program expanded to the Wheaton area in January 2024 and now that they have responded to more than 1,000 calls, the sheriff plans to further expand it.
The Drone as First Responder Program is designed to help officers with response times, decision-making, de-escalation and staffing shortages.
"We have a staffing shortage, it's no secret," Capt. Jason Cokinos, who led the operations of the Drone as First Responder program, told WTOP. "We have seen increased response times. We've seen calls holding. And so we need to be innovative, we need to leverage technology."
The drone will sometimes be deployed on its own and sent to the scene of a call for service with patrol officers.
The department calls it an "innovative approach" that is revolutionizing emergency response by offering a real-time aerial perspective and strategic insights.
Police claim the drones are only used to respond to calls and will not be used for patrols or surveillance.
The drones are called Ravens and can fly between 200 and 400 feet. Their battery lasts for just under an hour.
