Fort Worth police have initiated a new crime-fighting strategy by partnering with Flock Safety to implement a drone program aimed at providing officers with real-time aerial footage of crime scenes. This initiative, announced on Thursday, is part of a one-year, no-cost pilot of Flock’s Drone as First Responder program.
Police Chief Eddie García emphasized that the drones are intended to support, not replace, officers by offering better situational awareness before they arrive at a scene. The long-term goal is to equip all six of Fort Worth’s patrol divisions with drones, which can assist in searching for missing persons, investigating major vehicle crashes, and assessing whether suspects are armed.
Flock Safety, known for its automatic license plate readers, has been active in Fort Worth for six years. The company leases its equipment to cities, meaning Fort Worth does not own the drones or cameras. However, the city retains ownership of the footage captured by these drones, according to Paris Lewbel, Flock’s public relations manager.
While the program has been met with some controversy, particularly from critics like the American Civil Liberties Union who express privacy concerns, Lewbel assured that Fort Worth police have full control over the footage. The drones record their entire flight, but their cameras remain pointed at the horizon until reaching a crime scene.
Sergeant Erik Lavigne of Fort Worth’s Real Time Crime Center stated that the department is committed to transparency and will soon release a website tracking drone usage, including time, reason, and flight path. The use of drones will depend on weather conditions and wind speeds.
Despite privacy concerns, Chief García believes the technology is crucial for modern policing, stating, “This technology saves lives.” The program has already been in use for about five weeks and has assisted in several situations, determining whether suspects were armed or safe for officers to approach.
Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.
