Chula Vista was the first police department to be awarded such a waiver. Now roughly 225 departments have them, and a dozen of those, including Chula Vista's, operate what are called drone-as-first-responder programs, where drones are dispatched by pilots, who are listening to live 911 calls, and often arrive first at the scenes of accidents, emergencies, and crimes, cameras in tow.
The FAA is widely expected to fully legalize BVLOS within the next few years, which would make it easier for other such programs to launch; the sheriff-elect in Las Vegas, Nevada, already announced plans to pre-position hundreds of drones citywide to respond rapidly to crimes and shootings. New technologies such as autonomous flying, where drones can fly pre-programmed routes or respond to commands without the need for human operators, aren't far away.
"This is rapidly escalating," says Matt Sloane, founder of Atlanta-based Skyfire Consulting, which helps train law enforcement agencies on the use of drones. "Police departments are steadily growing their budgets for this technology. I think we'll see autonomous deployment within two to three years."
[...] Many argue that it's happening too fast. The use of drones as surveillance tools and first responders is a fundamental shift in policing, one that is happening without a well-informed public debate around privacy regulations, tactics, and limits for this technology.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 28, @04:35AM (5 children)
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday February 28, @05:29AM (3 children)
Wait until they manage to attach some kind of chaingun to it and it starts going all ED-209.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFvqDaFpXeM [youtube.com]
(Score: 4, Funny) by MadTinfoilHatter on Tuesday February 28, @07:13AM (2 children)
Yes, and the ED-209 -mode will be marketed as a feature, after they hook it up to ChatGPT trained on the 911 call analysis [propublica.org] bullcrap.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday February 28, @04:40PM (1 child)
Hold up, you want your dystopian police drone not to have a chain gun? How unpatriotic of you! Please see the nearest re-education facility for extra training.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday March 01, @03:25AM
It's Chula VIsta. Chain gun might feel a trifle underdressed.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday March 01, @03:15AM
Also less likely to be ambushed and shot by a gangbanger or cartel hitman.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.