A drone whirred and came to a sudden halt in the Santa Fe Police Department parking lot. It had just returned from searching for a woman who had allegedly used counterfeit currency at three local businesses. This particular search was unsuccessful, but on Wednesday SFPD used a drone to find a man who was overdosing in Las Acequias Park. After locating the man, who did not have a pulse, paramedics were able to revive him.
Drone pilot Detective Enrique Moreno can also see bodycam footage of officers on the ground. Since Moreno can see what the drone sees and what the officer sees, he can give officers specific guidance on where to look for suspects or people in need of help. In one instance, a drone pilot was able to see that a suspect had a knife on his belt and warned officers.
The machines are part of a temporary 'drones as first responder,' or DFR, pilot program in conjunction with technology and weapons company Axon and drone manufacturer Skydio. SFPD invited city leaders to see a demonstration of the technology Thursday. Deputy Chief of Police Ben Valdez told KSFR that the department presented a proposal to city council to cover the costs of 15 drones. If the city approves, the drones would be stationed at 5 different locations around the city.
A representative from Axon referenced the success of the DFR program in Lakewood, CO during a presentation. He said that drones beat officers to the scene almost half of the time. Almost 40 percent of Lakewood's calls are now cleared without an officer on the scene. Valdez said the technology could help offset staffing shortages at SFPD.
SFPD already uses Axon body and car cameras and license plate readers. The drones and existing technology would all be controlled and monitored with one digital crime center called Fusus.
The American Civil Liberties Union has previously warned that without strong privacy protections, drone usage could lead to ‘mass surveillance’. But an Axon representative pointed to the Wichita Police Department's Drone Transparency Dashboard. The public website allows users to see the flightpath and purpose of previous drone flights. Valdez said that in Santa Fe, the drones would only ever be deployed to places that the department would send an officer.
