EXCELLENCE IN ACTION
Using Drones as a First Responder in Brookhaven
Lt . David T . Snively and Lt . Abrem Ayana
In April 2020 , the Brookhaven Police Department began research to create an Unmanned Aerial Systems ( UAS ) unit . Commonly referred to as drones , UAS provide an efficient and effective way of law enforcement information gathering at incident and emergency scenes as well as during criminal investigations .
At the time , BPD relied on aerial support from the DeKalb County Police and Georgia State Patrol Aviation units , in the form of traditional manned aircraft . This relationship continues ; however , now BPD has an aerial support capability of its own .
In addition to the Department ’ s desire to expand aerial capabilities , the COVID-19 pandemic created a need for innovative ways of limiting public contact . These reasons
62 SUMMER . 2021 together caused BPD to take note of the Chula Vista ( CA ) Police Department ’ s Drone as First Responder ( DFR ) Program .
Launched in 2018 , CVPD pioneered rapid response to police emergencies by using unmanned aerial systems to respond to emergency calls . The DFR program uses drones stationed at permanent locations throughout the city and piloted by sworn police officers who fly them to dispatched calls for service and requests for backup in real time . The model allows , in most cases , for a drone to arrive on scene well ahead of traditional ground units . Examples of some of our footage can be found at the following link on the GACP website :
https :// gachiefs . com / bhdrones