By Gregory Hasman
Albuquerque Journal
BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. — The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is launching drones aimed at getting cameras on a scene before deputies and other first responders arrive on the ground.
Known as the Drone as First Responder Program, the X10 drones can be deployed by deputies to scout emergency situations safely before officers arrive.
Not only does it decrease response times, but it also helps deputies to de-escalate and ensure they are equipped with the right resources to handle calls, according to drone manufacturer Skydio.
The drones will allow BCSO to see where a call came from and give dispatch the ability to say: “This call can be cleared,” or “We need to relay intel to our teams that are getting into their cruisers and are responding to an actual incident,” said Skydio Key Account Leader Daniel Palumbo.
The first question people will ask about the drone program is, “Hey, is this the Big Brother syndrome here?” said Sheriff John Allen on Friday afternoon. “Are you keeping an eye out on everything we’re doing?”
No, he said, this is to help firefighters and deputies get to a scene quicker while potentially preventing a situation from de-escalating.
“The earlier you get there with these drones, the more information you are getting ahead of time,” said BCSO Deputy Jeremy Sanchez, drone program coordinator.
BCSO will also use the drones to help other agencies, like the fire department and SWAT team, and provide coverage in rural areas, Allen said.
While the sheriff’s office already has some drones, the new ones are designed to be deployed first, allowing deputies to see what’s happening before getting to a scene. BCSO said it plans to train 25 deputies to use a fleet of up to 20 autonomous drones.
BCSO has a three-to-five-year contract with Skydio, and they hope to get the new drones flying in the next four to six weeks, Allen said. They plan to ask the state legislature for $4 million in capital outlay for the program, which Allen said he hopes will be fully up and running in the next six to eight months.
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