A call about a suspicious person in a backyard turned into a quick, high-tech response Thursday night, thanks to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Drone as First Responder (DFR) program.
Within three minutes of the call being broadcast to patrol deputies, DFR pilots launched a drone using RapidSOS live 911 monitoring. According to the sheriff’s office, the drone was airborne and on scene almost immediately, giving deputies eyes in the sky before officers ever arrived.
From overhead, pilots began canvassing the neighborhood and relaying real-time information to responding deputies. Using thermal imaging in low-light conditions, the drone located a suspect hiding in the backyard of a nearby home on Cromwell Place…