Police departments across North Carolina are putting eyes in the sky, using drones as first responders.
Cities like Winston-Salem, which first deployed drones for on-scene patrols seven years ago, launched their Drones as First Responder program last year. From tracking suspects to locating missing people, the drones are capable of arriving on scene before law enforcement more than half of the time. The Winston-Salem Police Department has conducted more than 700 flights as part of its DFR program.
Locally, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has taken steps to incorporate drones in policing, soliciting proposals from drone companies over the past summer. The department’s listing stated the drones would be used for “rapid deployment in emergency situations, surveillance, search and rescue, traffic management, and crime scene monitoring.”…