Drones replacing first responders as they race to emergency scenes in 85 secs in first-of-its-kind program
Share:
BRAND new drone technology will replace first responders in the rush to get to emergency scenes at a moment's notice. Hempstead Police Department, an hour's drive from New York City on Long Island, is implementing automatic drones, which boast an average response time of just 85 seconds.
![[Silhouette of a drone flying in a sunset sky.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/NINTCHDBPICT000964208598.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Flock Safety, a tech company focused on public safety, is providing the department's new drone-as-first responder system, which will be the company's first program in New York. The drones will be stationed at docks across the city, where they'll be prepared to deploy anywhere within a four-mile radius in under two minutes.
![[Blurred photo of emergency vehicles at night.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/NINTCHDBPICT000964208634.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The drones can immediately get eyes on emergencies and service calls, which creates safer and more efficient cases for responding officers. “Drone-as-first-responder programs will play a central role in the future of public safety, speeding emergency response, de-escalating dangerous situations, and getting to closed cases faster,” Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley said in a press release.
“No other technology helps law enforcement officers get eyes on the scene faster than a drone.”. The new system will work alongside HPD's existing license plate reader and video cameras, also installed by Flock. The LPR cameras can help locate stolen vehicles, known wanted offenders, and missing people.
The cameras will speed response times by reporting the recorded information to drone dispatch. All of the systems are streamlined through the city's real-time information center. “Hempstead PD has long been at the forefront of high-tech policing," Police Chief Richard Holland said.
