KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The use of drones could soon benefit the Knoxville Police Department if the city council approves the Drones as First Responders program.
The program would be an addition to KPD’s Axon System contract to include 12 drone docks with Skydio X10 Drones. The agenda item explains that the addition will not exceed $9,407,699.82. The city council will vote on the program during its meeting on Tuesday.
The DFP program is being used in several cities, including Albuquerque, Ontario, Philadelphia, Louisville, San Francisco, and Miami Beach, to help officers when responding to 9-1-1 calls.
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“The whole objective here is to get to the scene before officers arrive. When you have a drone in the air, you have a pilot that is now on the line telling exactly what they can see on the scene before the officer even arrives, that’s helping them arrive to the right location, and it puts them in a place that’s safe so that they can hopefully de-escalate the situation,” said Noreen Charlton, public safety strategy at Skydio…