The New York City Police Department plans to use drones to respond to select 911 calls in five precincts, officials said a hearing Thursday, according to Gothamist.
Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD deputy commissioner of operations, was testifying in Washington, D.C. where he unveiled the plan, which will involve three precincts in Brooklyn, one in the Bronx and one in Central Park.
Daughtry did not say which 911 calls would have drones, according to Gothamist. The NYPD increased its drone usage 420% last year compared to 2022, Daughtry said at the hearing.
Police did not say which precincts would have drones deployed, but they would be chosen based on recent crime trends, Gothamist reported.
The NYPD used drones in the wake of the earthquake that shook New York in April to inspect the structural integrity of buildings and bridges and to film pro-Palestinian protests in Times Square and Bay Ridge, Daughtry said.
Daughty said at the hearing that drones can help keep first responders safe. He said police officials will monitor the live footage from the NYPD’s Joint Operations Center at 1 Police Plaza and feed the information to officers at the scene.
Drones made by a Chinese manufacturer will be phased out, Daughtry said at the hearing. The NYPD drones are not equipped with facial recognition technology, but police can run drone footage through its facial recognition headquarters, Gothamist reported.
"We're not looking for grandma's secret recipe sauce that she's putting on a grill. We're not looking to see if you're making hamburgers or hot dogs. We're out there using drones to fight crime," Daughtry said to Gothamist.
In February, the NYPD announced plans to use drones to drop floatation devices to swimmers in need at the city's beaches.
If a drone operator sees a person in distress, such as someone caught in a riptide or drowning, they would be able to "hit a button" and drop a flotation device that would inflate upon hitting the water, the NYPD said.
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