Drones are clearly a game changer for law enforcement, and officers with the Chula Vista Police Department even said it has changed their level of safety not seen since bulletproof vests were introduced.
CVPD are making that assessment as the only law enforcement agency in the nation using drones to respond to 911 calls.
In October 2018, CVPD began a pilot program with the Federal Aviation Administration to use drones as first responders.
The cameras are manned by a teleoperator on the ground, and controlled on the rooftop by a certified FAA pilot, who is always within a visual line of sight of the drone for about two miles.
Responding officers can also see everything in real time through an app.
"They're seeing exactly what the camera sees,” said CVPD Sgt. Lamar Barrett. "The officer on the ground can actually move the drone around using the teleoperator just by making a request, just like you would for a helicopter."
Since October, the drones have responded to more than 200 incidents, arriving to a call within two minutes.
Local
The calls resulted in 17 arrests.
"The level of real-time information is something I've never seen before in my career," Barrett said. "It's quick, it's instantaneous and it's great."
The drones were also sent to a 44-acre brush fire in November, which burned behind a new housing development.
"The fire department called us to actually fly out, just to survey the area where a fire had taken place," said Barrett. "We used that to take pictures and provide them video, so they can do their job more effectively."
So far, the biggest setback in the pilot program is the equipment itself.
The drone, with a powerful zoom lens, was unusable for several weeks because of a software problem.
"With our 30 zoom camera we're able to see details - is that a weapon, is that a cellphone, is that a man or a woman. With our smaller drone those details kind of get lost," Barrett said.
As Chula Vista police help write new drone laws with the FAA, their vision is the ability to fly drones beyond the line of sight.
"The drone will be able to fly to the east side of the city and further south," said Barrett. "And ultimately having drones in a box, drones on top of a fire station, so that if an emergency arises, that drone can take off autonomously and fly to the incident."
Currently, two police officers are needed to operate a drone. The department is considering using civilian drone pilots on the roof to free up one of the officers. The teleoperator on the ground would remain a police officer.
The public is invited to learn more about how CVPD uses its drones during a community forum held Thursday, Feb. 7 between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Chula Vista City Council Chambers.
