Oceanside police may be adding a new tool to their law enforcement efforts. A big part of it is using a drone as a first responder. NBC 7’s Dave Summers takes a closer look.
Oceanside police may be adding a new tool to their law enforcement efforts. A big part of it is using a drone as a first responder.
The Oceanside Police Department wants to enlist a new first responder to its ranks — one that gets there within seconds and sees in every direction from 400 feet above the ground.
“It’s going to get eyes on a lot quicker than it is going to take a car to drive from point A to point B,” OPD Assistant Chief John McKean told NBC 7.
How much quicker? A March audit indicates the Oceanside police average response time for priority one calls, those that might be life-threatening, is 6-and-a-half minutes, according to McKean. He says the drone, which would be remotely operated by a single officer, can get anywhere in the jurisdiction within 70 seconds.
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When policing some emergencies — missing children or adults, hit-and-run accidents and active shooters, for example — speed really is everything, McKean said.
An FAA-certified police officer will control the drone from the department’s new real-time crime center, currently under construction at headquarters. It will launch from the roof of city hall simultaneously with dispatched police officers.
Police are expecting some pushback about privacy, but the assistant chief says that shouldn’t be a problem because the drone will only be used to fly directly to a scene, and not randomly patrol. While the video it records will not be made public, the path it flies will be.
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“Invasion of privacy would be a major concern,” Oceanside resident Chad Shine said.
Shine sees great potential in the drone first responder program but says technology can’t do it all.
“It does seem like computers, robots and AI technology are taking over for human beings. Hopefully we can find some type of balance,“ Shine said.
McKean says the program does not replace a police officer response but enhances it. It’s a quarter-million-dollar project that is paid for by a federal grant. If first responders are in a race against time, the assistant chief might say it's time to use technology that can close that gap.
The program goes before the Oceanside City Council on April 23. If approved, McKean expects the drone first responder program to be up and running by June.
