The Chula Vista Police Department has begun using drones to respond to 9-1-1 calls – with the program already resulting in three arrests.
The program went into place last week and drones were used on 30 emergency calls. Still in a testing phase, drones are only allowed within a on-mile radius of police headquarters and a direct line of sight must be maintained by the person on the roof flying the drone. Authorities hope that within six months to a year that the drones can be launched from anywhere in the city without someone required to be on the roof.
The department is also working with a company on technology that would allow for drones to be flown on autopilot while officers view live footage from miles away as they head to the scene. Chula Vista hopes to eventually have a fleet of
A similar program in Ensenada led to more than 500 arrests and a 10 percent drop in crime so far this year.
Read more at the San Diego Union Tribune.
